It can be difficult for parents of deaf children to know where to find information that enables them to make informed choices, especially if they have never had contact with deaf people before.

The Deaf Society provides a comprehensive and unbiased source of information and can refer parents and deaf children to other appropriate services. It gives parents the opportunity to learn about different perspectives towards deafness, communication methods and education approaches.

Parents may or may not want to have their child become involved in the Deaf community. The Deaf Society gives people an opportunity to have contact with and explore the Deaf community (if they wish).

The Deaf Society also provides services to:

• help parents resolve problems (which may include referrals to other agencies)
• educate families and communities about deafness
• educate parents about parenting (with specific relevance to deafness)
• advocate on behalf of families and individuals

Individual and family casework
Casework services assist Deaf people and their families on a one to one basis to help work out problems. Casework involves a Community Worker making plans and working with Deaf individuals or families for a short or medium-term time (a few weeks or months depending on the issue and what each person needs). For more information, click here.

Parent Education
The Deaf Society has various education programs for parents who are Deaf and parents of deaf children, including ‘Triple P – Positive Parenting Program’ and ‘Toddlers Terrible and Terrific’. It also provides information sessions to parent groups with a focus on deafness. Subjects include effective communication, basic visual communication and encouraging literacy. Seminars, such as basic First Aid, can also be organised and delivered in Auslan (Australian Sign Language).

For more information about parenting education programs and seminars, click here.

Parent to Parent
After consultation with a group of Deaf parents and other organisations that provide services for deaf children, the Deaf Society has developed a program where parents support other parents and service organisations in learning about programs, support and priorities that are specific to raising a child who is deaf. The program also offers a way to arrange peer support, best practice guidelines and information to parents and carers involved in informal peer support and mentoring relationships.

For more information about the Parent to Parent Mentoring Program, click here.

Home Visits
For parents of newly diagnosed deaf children, it is hard at first to know what services are out there and what to do while you’re waiting for appointments or equipment. For parents who have recently found their child has a hearing loss, the Deaf Society can visit you at home and offer a helping hand with holistic information and support.

You can get more information and organise a home visit by contacting the Deaf Society’s specialist for Family Support. For contact details, click here.

Baby Cry Alarm Borrowing Scheme
Baby Cry Alarms are a warning device that use a flashing light and bed shaker to let deaf parents know their child is crying. The Deaf Society has a small stock of Bellman brand Visit Flash Baby Cry Alarms available for loan. For more information, click here.

Drop In Service
Drop In is a service where you can come into the Deaf Society to:

• get information
• start working on a problem
• find out what organisation or government agency you should contact (and organise for a referral, if appropriate)
• receive support writing or understanding English forms, documents and letters

For more information, click here.

Auslan Heritage School
The program provides Auslan classes for hearing parents, brothers, sisters, cousins and other family members of deaf children. Auslan Heritage School also helps introduce families to the Deaf community. 

In the tradition of Saturday language schools, The Deaf Society of NSW and the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) present the Auslan Heritage School as part of our commitment to helping families of deaf children develop Auslan skills and explore the role of Auslan in their lives. 

For more information, click here.

Auslan Courses
Deaf Education Network (DEN), the education department of the Deaf Society, is the leading provider of Auslan courses in NSW offering accredited and community courses for all people interested in learning Auslan.

One of the ways the Deaf Society helps families of deaf children develop Auslan skills and explore the role of Auslan in their lives is to provide sponsorship for one family member to participate in one course from DEN’s basic (community) Auslan program, enabling them to experience learning Auslan in a group and contextual settings. A limited number of sponsorships are available. You can get more information by contacting the Deaf Society’s specialist for Family Support. For contact details, click here.

Advocacy
The objective of the Deaf Society’s Advocacy Service is to provide support and representation in order to promote, protect and secure the rights of individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing. If you or your child needs advocacy support, contact the Deaf Society's Advocacy Service.

Programs for deaf children
For information about services and activities provided by the Deaf Society for deaf children, click here.

Programs for young people
For information about services and activities provided by the Deaf Society for young people, click here.

Information about deafness
If you want to learn more about deafness check out the Information section of this website.

We will also be posting interesting news articles, deaf-related policy information and other useful items on our Latest News page.

Events
For information about Deaf Society events, click here.

Contact the Deaf Society
To find out more about services for deaf children or to contact a Deaf Society worker, click here.