Published on: 6th January 2025
As we know, summertime in Australia can be the peak of fun! But it also comes with its fair share of natural disasters and other emergencies. Deaf Connect is committed to keeping our community safe during emergency events.
In times of disasters, we:
➡️ Share Auslan-accessible updates, including interpreted press conferences.
➡️ Work to provide accurate translations if information isn’t accessible.
➡️ Reach out to affected Deaf community members where possible.
Our focus is on clear Auslan communication, accurate info, and timely updates.
Please share our emergency videos with those impacted.
Together, we can stay informed and connected.
Transcript:
Deaf Connect has been reviewing our capacity to provide emergency or important updates to the community – a lot of that filming takes place right here – supported by our staff all over the country. As a national organisation we have a responsibility to make sure that our community is safe – and the first half of 2024 has had no shortage of disasters and tragedies.
When there is a disaster – and particularly if a disaster situation is declared by government, Deaf Connect will share any Auslan accessible content, including the interpreted press conferences that Deaf Connect interpreters attend all over the country. In addition, when there is a disaster, and accessible information is not up-to-date or available, Deaf Connect will continue to:
- Analyse impacted Deaf community members to the best of our ability and reach out directly where possible.
- Work with local news to understand the issue so that any information shared is accurate
- Film a translation
- Deliver information to our community as quickly as possible.
We always try to ensure our information is as up to date and correct as possible – but will always link to live news updates when available. Going forward Deaf Connect will continue to do this when an emergency situation has been declared and we will provide ongoing support during those disasters until the situation is no longer current, or the threat has subsided. In some instances, there are other organisations or individuals who also provide similar information, and where possible we will aim to not duplicate communication on an issue, in order to avoid confusion.
For all our emergency videos, we will focus on clear Auslan, and provide English transcripts where possible. In the event of an emergency please share our content with impacted people and communities. One important focus for Deaf Connect is information accuracy – and we will only share information that is supported by news outlets or government bodies, or verified by people impacted by the issue.
