Deafness is a culture, not a liability
With Fiona Murphy, Jackie Leach Scully & Alex Jones
Presented at Antidote, 5 September 2021, 3.30pm AEST
Tickets $15

One in six Australians have some hearing loss, and our Auslan-speaking community numbers at more than 30,000. Deaf culture is thriving. Yet in the construction of spaces and social environments, deafness is often overlooked. How do we overcome stigma and exclusion?

In a world made for non-disabled bodies, everything from learning environments to restaurants can be unwelcoming, not to mention some people's attitudes. COVID-safe practices have made some spaces more accessible, so how do we ensure ongoing change?

Writer Fiona Murphy kept her deafness a secret for over twenty-five years before discovering how sign language could change her life and that Deaf culture could be part of her identity. Her memoir, The Shape of Sound, shows that disability must be viewed beyond the medical definition and recognised as a complex social issue.

Professor Jackie Leach Scully, Director of the Disability Innovation Institute, uses her own experiences of deafness to research access and attitudes towards disability.

Don't miss this insiders' discussion about living with an invisible disability, dismantling stigma and creating social policy that honours a diverse range of bodies and hearing abilities.