The Rebuttal

Speak Up, or Remain in Silence!
The Rebuttal Last week Stella Young wrote a scathing article directed at leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott. Mr Abbott has publicly stated that he would put any further investment in disability support through the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme on the back burner until Australia was back in economic surplus. Ms Young quite rightly took offence [...]
Mon, Feb 06 2012

Orwell Knew His Stuff!
The Rebuttal William Lutz, Professor at Rutgers University perceptively comments,  “If there's one product American business can produce in large amounts, it's doublespeak. Doublespeak is language that only pretends to say something; it's language that hides, evades or misleads.” Double speak is the art of saying one thing but meaning another. In today’s age double speak is...
Thu, Feb 02 2012

The Australian Deaf Games – More than just SPORT!!
The Rebuttal 1000 or more people attended for the Australian Deaf Games in Geelong from the 14th to the 21st January. What a time they had! New friends were made, old friends reacquainted. Parties were had, ceremonies attended. Relationships flourished and love blossomed. For the Deaf who attended, and a large smattering of hearing people too, it [...]
Wed, Jan 25 2012

Demanding Quality
The Rebuttal Many years ago Australians with a disability and Deaf people had to be grateful for what they received. Traditionally Australia, and indeed the world, looked after people with a disability through charity, and in many ways still do. This is no more so than in the Deaf area where the Deaf societies, and indeed even [...]
Wed, Jan 04 2012

Australia’s Shame
The Rebuttal I was in Townsville. I was staying at Jupiter’s Casino.  I was there for work. Jupiter’s had a special deal. If you stayed two nights it was only $128 a night. My room was overlooking the bay and the magnificent Magnetic Island. The Island in all its splendour filled the horizon from my hotel window. [...]
Wed, Dec 07 2011

Stories From My Past # 2 – Gary Kerridge
The Rebuttal This week Graham Clark, inventor of the cochlear Implant, won a prestigious medical award. Mr Clarke was very forthcoming about the positives and negatives of the cochlear implant. He spoke about his desire to develop the cochlear implant further so that it was providing Hi Fidelity sound. Clark is well aware of the Implant’s limitations. [...]
Fri, Nov 25 2011

Stories from My Past – Gary Kerridge
The Rebuttal There once was a time when I had to fend for myself. This was particularly so when I started studying Social Work at the University of South Australia. On acceptance to the University I met with Dick, who was the guy who looked after people with a disability. He asked what he could do to [...]
Wed, Nov 23 2011

Robbie the Rat from Complainark
The Rebuttal Robbie was the scourge of the country of Complainark. Robbie knew how to break the law in Complainark. In Complainark the law only worked if people complained. The people of Complainark don’t like complaining. Complaining is depressing and it often means you have to dob people in. In Complainark dobbing people in was bad form. [...]
Sun, Nov 20 2011

Dear Nova – Is the Writing on the Screen – An Open Letter...
The Rebuttal Elena Down is yet another not impressed with Captiview - Will anyone ever listen to the deaf? Will Nova respond? Dear Nova I have had a Privileges Card with you for a year, and am letting you know that I am alarmed at the declining number of open captioned movies you show. I have been a [...]
Mon, Nov 14 2011

An Advocates Guide
The Rebuttal American writer William Faulkner (1897-1962) once said of advocacy, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth. ” In Australian society there is much injustice whether it is towards Aboriginals, Gay/Lesbian [...]
Wed, Nov 09 2011

The Danger of Secrets!
The Rebuttal SECRETS … We all have them. There are some things we just do not want other people to know. Secrets come in all shapes and sizes. Some are personal ones. Perhaps you’re an adult and you still like to cuddle your teddy bear. No one needs to know, it harms no one. Then there are [...]
Tue, Nov 08 2011

Bad to the Bone- The New Breed of Advocate
The Rebuttal After a while, positive people, sick of being talked about, decided to intervene with an unambiguous message: these are our lives, our bodies, and our choices. So talk to us as if we matter. We are the reason you are here. In many ways, this approach has been the enduring hallmark of our response as [...]
Tue, Nov 01 2011

Perspectives From Paul Bartlett – Deaf Aussie Expat.
The Rebuttal The Dimity Dornan furore has seen many words written by various people from all walks of life. I have made a few comments and just all of my friends and acquaintances have said something as well. So I am not going to reiterate what others have said. Let me sit back for a minute and [...]
Mon, Oct 17 2011

TRANSCRIPTION: Dimity Dornan Speech, Sydney, on 24 October...
The Rebuttal The following is a a video of a speech given by Dimity Dornan in the presence of the then Governor-General at Kirribilli House, Sydney, on 24 October 2007 - nearly 4 years ago - where she likens deafness to polio 20 years ago, and claims that very soon hearing loss will be able to be [...]
Sun, Oct 16 2011

Understanding Dimity
The Rebuttal This is purely a speculative piece. Understanding Dimity is no easy task. She is a business woman and this article is an amateur analysis of her business mind. It could either be close to reality or way off the beaten track. Ms Dimity is on the marketing campaign again. Dimity is the lady at the [...]
Thu, Oct 13 2011

Deafness Is Rife Amongst our Advocates
The Rebuttal It’s an epidemic. Deafness is everywhere amongst our advocates. I speak, of course, of our representatives in the cinema captioning campaign, namely Deafness Forum, Deaf Australia and Media Access Australia. These organisations appear to lack the capacity to hear us. We, the consumer, do our best to let them know our feelings about the new [...]
Tue, Oct 11 2011

Maturing, Why it is Hard for Deaf kids.
The Rebuttal I have three kids. The joy of kids is watching them mature and develop. My three are all robust lads. All different, very intelligent and passionate about most things that they do. They love sport and are competitive to the extreme. They went through all the milestones learning to talk and walk, the terrible two's,  [...]
Fri, Sep 23 2011

An Interesting Resistance
The Rebuttal I love technology. I love the people that invent it. I love how I can use it and it has opened up the world to me. Captions give me access to the television
Sun, Sep 18 2011

The Deaf Community Strikes Back
The Rebuttal The Deaf community is forever under threat. Our society wants to fix everything. Deaf people must be HEARING.  First it was the cochlear implant. Through cochlear implants deaf people were going to be able to HEAR and assimilate. Then it was genetics. The Deaf gene has been identified. If identified parents who do not wish [...]
Tue, Sep 06 2011

Second Class?
The Rebuttal My friend Alison reminded me today that deaf people, indeed many minority groups, often settle for being labeled as second class. Doing the rounds at the moment is an article that promotes captioned spectacles. Deaf people wear these spectacles while watching movies in the cinema. Thee captions for the movie are transmitted to the spectacles [...]
Fri, Aug 26 2011

Ramblings – Gary Kerridge
The Rebuttal Did you hear about that lovely hearing CEO?  She has just come in to work in the Deaf sector. She is such a lovely lady, and very clever too. It’s amazing with no knowledge of deafness and an obvious handicap of having a hearing mentality that she has managed understand deafness so quickly. Despite everything [...]
Wed, Aug 17 2011

It’s a Scandal – By Marnie Kerridge
The Rebuttal I don't want to be put on a pedestal.  I just want to be reasonably successful and live a normal life with all the conveniences to make it so. Althea Gibson  (Tennis player Althea Gibson (1927-2003) became the first African American to compete in the U.S. Nationals. The next year she became the first African [...]
Mon, Aug 15 2011

Agent Phillip Deb – The World as They See Us.
The Rebuttal Jack Bauer was saving the world again. He was hunched over a ledge at the top of a 200 story apartment. He was dressed totally in black and with the mandatory black beanie. An automatic machine gun was slung over his left shoulder. His gun and his trusty binoculars were all that stood between survival [...]
Tue, Aug 09 2011

A Response From Deafness Forum
The Rebuttal This is a response from Deafness Forum. They claim many people think Captiview is great and only a few people have complained. Let us know if you agree or not will will forward your responses to Deafness Forum. We commend Deafness Forum for their effort to communicate with the community, Its been lacking of late. [...]
Fri, Aug 05 2011

Is it any Wonder!!!
The Rebuttal See below an email that has been sent to the Government to bring to their attention the many dis-satisfied responses to Captiview. See below that the automated response that was received and bang head against nearest wall. The email was also sent to Deafness Forum who have, as we understand, received several emails on the [...]
Wed, Jul 27 2011

Captiview Reviews
The Rebuttal In the interest of informed debate we present you these differing points of view on the Captiview Cinema Captioning system. You can bet your bottom dollar that we at The Rebuttal will will give you the good and the bad so that YOU can make up your mind. Unlike some people we know ;-D Open [...]
Tue, Jul 26 2011

Houston We Have a Problem
The Rebuttal This is one of the most famous misquotes of all time. In the movie Apollo 13 James Lovell is reporting back to base. There is a technical problem and utters the immortal line “Houston we have a problem…” In actual fact Lovell said, “Ok Houston, We’ve had a problem here … “ But for dramatic [...]
Mon, Jul 25 2011

The Stare and Vonlenska – Bringing it Home.
The Rebuttal Our last article was a short story by Dr Paul Jacob. The Stare and Vonlenska told the story of a young deaf girl who was mainstreamed into a normal school. The story described situations that many of us who are deaf and who were educated in mainstream settings are familiar with. Indeed for many deaf [...]
Wed, Jul 20 2011

The stare (and vonlenska)
The Rebuttal Paul is the author of ‘Neither-nor: A young Australian’s experience of deafness’ (Gallaudet University Press). His research and writings have focused on the social participation and the potential maximisation of people who are deaf. This fictional story is not about cochlear implants, mainstreaming, or the need for Sign Language. It’s about the senseless cruelty exper...
Thu, Jun 23 2011

CODAs
The Rebuttal CODAS. Children of Deaf Adults. There are deaf CODAS and hearing CODAS. Some can sign, some cannot. Some love having deaf parents. Some struggle while others may simply hate it. CODAS are a special and tough bunch. My three boys are CODAS. They do not fully appreciate how they are part of a large network [...]
Mon, Jun 20 2011

A Cynics Guide to Deafness
The Rebuttal “Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.” Lillian Hellman Dear old Lillian got it right first time. Unfortunately for the Cynic they are often shouted down as being kill joys. Indeed sometimes this is exactly what the cynic is. BUT someone has to do it so that people don't just smell the roses [...]
Wed, Jun 01 2011

Deaf Londoners Preparing for the Protest at the Italian...
The Rebuttal Deaf Londoners Preparing for the Protest at the Italian Embassy Thought you might like to see some Londoners preparing for the protest tomorrow. Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. All photo credit: Ramas Rentelis Hope to see you there? Here are details of the protests / vigil that I know are happening tomorrow (London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, [...]
Tue, May 24 2011

How You Can Support the Italian Deaf Community [Reposted...
The Rebuttal How You Can Support the Italian Deaf Community [Reposted From Grumpy Old Deafies] As I have previously blogged, the Parlamento Italiano (Parliament of Italy) tomorrow holds a crucial debate/vote on whether sign language is recognised in law as LIS (rather than LMG). See links at the bottom of this post, if you need to catch [...]
Mon, May 23 2011

Please Sign The International Petition to Support Italy &...
The Rebuttal Please sign this petition, against Italy's moves to downgrade sign language to being less than a language / mime and gesture. I am asking all those of you who don’t sign, but respect our right to sign and access via sign, to show your support and respect by signing this petition. Also, it would be [...]
Mon, May 23 2011

Epilogue -Two for a Dollar
The Rebuttal The National Disability Insurance scheme is a hard topic to discuss. It is very dry and as such it is difficult to discuss it in a way that inspires people. While The Rebuttal may have succeeded in making a dry topic like the NDIS mildly interesting in our article Two for  a Dollar we feel [...]
Mon, May 16 2011

The NDIS – Two for a Dollar
The Rebuttal The National Disability Insurance Scheme, or the NDIS, is the new thing in the disability sector. It’s kind of like Medicare where people pay a proportion of their salary which is then used to fund support for people with a disability.  This funding is then given to people with a Disability and their carers to [...]
Fri, May 13 2011

Legal? or Making us Toe the Line
The Rebuttal Deaf Can Do in South Australia sacked a Board member  recently.  The Board member just so happened to be Deaf. The Deaf community were up in arms about this. Nothing new really as the Deaf community in South Australia have been up in arms about Deaf Can Do for many years now. They have been [...]
Fri, May 06 2011

Elitism
The Rebuttal Deaf education is a FUNNY thing. I have a bit of experience in the field – fourteen years in South Australia, Victoria and Northern Territory. I have met some wonderful teachers of the deaf along the way. People I have worked with and aspire to be more like. Likewise I also have met some shockers [...]
Tue, May 03 2011

It’s Gone Crazy! – By Gary Kerridge.
The Rebuttal We swore that was it! We swore that The Rebuttal had ran its course. But things have just gone crazy, daft even. On top of that we received such wonderful feedback from readers that wanted The Rebuttal to continue that we thought we should give it another shot. Michael Clarkson from NSW said, ” Why [...]
Mon, Apr 18 2011

The Last Post
The Rebuttal The Cinemas have screwed up. The promised Caption Cinema roll out that was to commence on December 14th now has not happened. Apparently the cinemas discovered that watching captions with 3D movies leads to the watcher becoming sick. Not everyone, mind you, just some. So they decided that the technology was flawed and they needed [...]
Sun, Dec 19 2010

An Ode to the Baird
The Rebuttal John Logie Baird is a friend of the Deaf. Not that he had anything to do with the deaf but in inventing the system that led to television as we now know it  he set in motion a series of events that have created a situation in the present time where opportunities abound for deaf [...]
Tue, Nov 30 2010

GLOBAL FINANCES – By Paul Bartlett, Oz Expat in the UK
The Rebuttal Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past few years the fact that the world’s in the midst of a global financial meltdown must not have escaped your attention. I’m sure that you must be wondering what this has to do with deaf people? My response is – plenty! Like other minorities and disadvantaged [...]
Tue, Nov 23 2010

I Remember the Time …..
The Rebuttal You begin to realise you are getting old when you are sitting among friends or gazing absently into the distance and you paraphrase most of your thoughts or utterances with, “I remember the time....” And so it was last week when I set up my laptop for a meeting and beamed up the lovely Nic [...]
Wed, Nov 10 2010

Good Old Adelaide
The Rebuttal Adelaide is my home. I lived there for nearly all my childhood and a large slab of my adult life. Given a choice I would call Adelaide home. My recent holiday to Canada, staying in Calgary, reminded me very much of Adelaide. Calgary is very small, only 1.2million people live there. It is very clean [...]
Wed, Nov 03 2010

For the Love of It!
The Rebuttal I have just stepped down after four years as President of Deaf Sport and Recreation Victoria (DSRV). I think the  best way to describe my involvement with DSRV is BUSY! In fact it often seemed like it was another part-time job. Despite this I enjoyed the involvement. Certainly the things that I learnt and the contacts that I made were invaluable. You [...]
Mon, Oct 25 2010

Taking Advantage
The Rebuttal I am Deaf .. I have no qualms in using it to my advantage sometimes. I figure I am so often disadvantaged that it kinda evens the scales a little bit when I can use it to my advantage. Some people think this is unethical. Some think it's hilarious while others think it is just [...]
Tue, Sep 14 2010

Conflicts of Interest
The Rebuttal In 1999 I applied for a job in Adelaide. The job was top establish a new program for young deaf people focusing on developing positive mental health. The man who was groomsman at my wedding was the boss of the organisation offering the job.  One might have thought that I would be a shoe-in for the [...]
Mon, Sep 06 2010

Take My Word For it
The Rebuttal One of my pet hates in life is to have to constantly prove that I am deaf. You know society mistrusts everyone so much that you must show that you are the real deal. Often it is necessary because people do take advantage.  For example they will try to de-fraud Centrelink of Disability Pension money [...]
Sat, Aug 28 2010

Julie Phillips Response to Little Deaf Girl
The Rebuttal The most recent article about deaf kids in schools re-awakened the frustration that I'm sure many of us share when thinking about deaf education.  It was very interesting  to read about the difference between “coping “and doing  the best that you can. Without getting too technical, this was the subject of an appeal in a [...]
Tue, Aug 24 2010

Little Deaf Girl – Editorial comment
The Rebuttal How much is good enough? Is it good enough for a deaf kid to “do well” in a classroom? If they are above average, is this enough? If a deaf kid is at or above the average achievement in their class is the job done? In my years working as a case manager or support [...]
Wed, Aug 18 2010