Steve Williamson of deafness forum of australia

New partnership with Deafness Forum of Australia

By Clint McLean

The mission of Deafness Forum of Australia is to make hearing health and wellbeing a national priority, making the organization an easy fit as our newest official partner.

Deafness Forum of Australia represents 3.5 million Australians with hearing loss, ear and balance disorders, people who use sign language, and their families. Their work encompasses the full human experience and includes accessibility in communications and the made environment, human rights, justice, education, employment, transport, health, and aged care.

The organization joins 27 other Ida partners working to advance hearing care through a more person-centered approach. Deafness Forum of Australia and the Ida Institute also collaborate as members of the World Hearing Forum, which is a WHO initiative to promote hearing care at a global scale.

Speaking of the new partnership with Ida, Steve Williamson, Chief Executive of Deafness Forum of Australia, said, “We share a vision for person-centered care by empathetic professionals; and informed consumers who understand, value, and expect person-centered care from their service providers. We’ve known and promoted Ida’s work and resources for several years and through this partnership, we can do more to promote person-centered and family-centered care in Australia.”

Ida’s Managing Director, Lise Lotte Bundesen, said, “Deafness Forum of Australia is very much aligned with our person-centered values. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from advocating for people with hearing loss to this partnership. Their insight and ideas will be very appreciated, not only by us, but by our entire partner network. I look forward to beginning to work with them very soon.”

Visit our partners page to see all of our partners.