Co-ordination the Key

Fractured hearing services mean people with hearing disability are getting a raw deal, says the National Foundation for the Deaf General Manager Louise Carroll.

This week Ms Carroll took the message to Prime Minister John Key, Opposition leader Phil Goff, and government coalition partner Peter Dunn with the aim of seeking a co-ordinated whole of government approach to the delivery of services for the 450,000 New Zealanders with hearing impairment.

“Hearing has been taking the hits recently and it’s time decision-makers wake up to the real situation,” Ms Carroll said today. Changes include:

• ACC changes which cuts a swathe of people off from support

• Gridlocked Ministry of Health hearing aid funding scheme that is seeing people wait 12-18 months for hearing aids,

• Transition from high school to tertiary studies support services slashed for hearing impaired and deaf teenagers

• Sign language tutors lose their jobs

• Sign language and speech-reading classes closed

“We believe these decisions are being made in isolation by each ministry or department and there is no one keeping track of the big picture.”

Ms Carroll said at least 12 ministries or government departments were providing services to people with hearing disabilities, with little or no co-ordination, resulting in often-poor outcomes, and unnecessary cost.
“It’s time there was a co-ordinated approach to how hearing disabilities are handled for what is a huge disability group in this country,” she said.

“As an example, we’re seeing people whose jobs are under threat because of their inability to get suitable hearing aids, but the Ministry of Health’s funding agencies say keeping one’s job does not fit the criteria for urgent funding,” Ms Carroll said.

“The alternative for those people, if they cannot find sometimes-several thousand dollars, is the unemployment benefit. Where’s the economic sense in that?

“We want to work with the government to bring cohesion to this sector, and we’re encouraged by the response we’ve received this week from the Prime Minister and other leaders.
“The issue now is to ensure the good sentiments are followed by action, or the raw deals for one of New Zealand’s biggest disability groups will continue with tax payers bearing the brunt of uncoordinated service delivery.”

ENDS