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Choose life then … Living with loss of sight, loss of hearing is an in-person seminar exploring loss of sight and loss of hearing, with presentations by Rolf Geerlings of Vision Australia, Elvis Dsouza of Hearing Australia, and Religious who have personal experience with loss of sight and/or hearing.
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday 17 May 2023
Time: 9.30am - 3.30pm
Venue: Peter Cosgrove Centre, Australian Catholic University, Level 18, 8 Napier Street, North Sydney
Audience: Leaders, health and wellbeing leaders, coordinators and related staff, and carers for Religious
Registration:
Fee: $150 per person
RSVP: Monday, 8 May 2023
Enquiries: Lucy O’Connell, CRA
Ph: 02 9557 2695
E: secretariat@catholicreligious.org.au
Speakers:
Rolf Geerlings
“I used to be a pastry chef, but as my eyesight got progressively worse, I had to end my career. With the assistance of Vision Australia, I learned how to use a computer with special software that speaks and to touch type so I could get an office job and provide for my family again.”
Helen Merrin OP
Born in Newcastle NSW in 1943 I grew up with a love of the sea, music, freedom and friendships, without the brutality of battle as experienced by many others my age. My early years were spent in convent schools in which music and other art forms thrived.
It was not until I was 21 that I responded to a perceived call to become a Dominican Sister. At the time this was almost considered a “late vocation”, but I remain very grateful to have had a variety of rich experiences and jobs to help broaden my outlook on life.
Following two years in the Dominican Novitiate in Wahroonga, Sydney, our group moved to Canberra to join with women of other Congregations to train as teachers. Although the ocean and freedom seemed quite distant, my music training continued, a great gift and pleasure. Following graduation, I taught in a number of Dominican primary schools in Brisbane and Sydney, including our in our school for children with vision impairment in Wahroonga.
An area of fascination for me had always been how others view the world, what it was like to be blind, deaf or polio-ridden and how these altered one’s understanding and image of our world.
In 1985 I became a member of L’Arche in which people with and without disabilities choose to make home together. This is such a rich part of my journey. After more than a decade there, I lost my vision, mostly over a weekend and years later most of my hearing. I now have no vision and have 2 cochlear implants to assist with hearing. Many lessons have been learned, theories tested, challenges faced, and they continue to be. There are also many points of gratitude for all that has been and is being lived, each moment.
Phil Mulhall
Phil Mulhall is a Patrician Brother and lives at The Entrance NSW. Phil has been in religious life for some 64 years and during that time has been heavily involved in education as a teacher and Principal in several schools run by the Patrician Brothers. Phil has also ministered as Province Leader, Deputy Congregation Leader, and Congregation Leader. He has lived and worked in Australia, Ireland, India, and Papua New Guinea. He also worked for several years in Professional Standards being a member of the National Committee for Professional Standards. He has both vison and hearing disabilities which began in 2017.
Larissa Williams
Larissa Williams is an Audiology Australia Accredited Audiologist working in the northern Sydney area. Graduating from Macquarie University in 2018 with a Master of Clinical Audiology, Larissa has been working with Hearing Australia for over four years. She works with d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals from all walks of life, ranging from 5 to 107 years old! Larissa works closely with clients and their families to best meet their communication goals beyond just hearing aids.