Deaf Education Centre

DEAF EDUCATION CENTRE

We are the ONLY government Secondary Deaf Education setting in the South East Victoria Region (SEVR).

The Deaf Education Centre (DEC) at Mount Erin College, provide specialised educational support for students who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH). The centre delivers communication and technological support. Our College is equipped with Roger and Soundfield systems.

Deaf Education Centre Staff

Alex Robinson

DEC Co-ordinator / Teacher of the Deaf

Simone Stevenson

Teacher of the Deaf

Sarah Parker

Education Support

Leigh Laing

Education Support

Michael Hayes

Education Support (Deaf)

Enrolment

DEC students can enroll from Year 7‐12. Application is open to students with a permanent bilateral sensorineural loss of 40 decibels average across three frequencies or greater. Enrolled students are required to use their technology (hearing aids, Roger, etc.) in classes and utilise support staﬀ.

Social Communication

Having a peer group is very important for our DEC students, both within our Centre and the College as a whole. This increases overall wellbeing and self‐confidence, as well as having a positive impact on their academic, emotional and cognitive skills.

Audiology

The DEC has regular audiology visits from Hearing Australia, which all our students have the opportunity to attend. These visits provide a chance to update and check equipment, such as hearing aid mould fittings. It is also a point of contact for additional hearing technology support. Our students highly value these sessions.

Extra-Curricular

There are many events on oﬀer for our DEC students which supports their education and self‐advocacy development. These occasions provide valuable knowledge of the wider Deaf community as well as opportunities to interact with the wider community. The experiences have included Deaf Sports Days at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Auslan Interpreted performances and watching captioned movies.

Future Pathways

Our ongoing comprehensive support continues as our students progress through their high school years. The DEC works in conjunction with the careers department at Mount Erin College, to enable our students to access many exciting tertiary pathways. These range from University to TAFE, VET and Apprenticeships.

Financial Assistance

The Department of Education and Training provides financial assistance in the form of a Conveyance Allowance. This supports families with the cost of transporting children to their closest educational setting, providing that they live more than 4.8km from the College. All funded DEC students may have this opportunity provided they live within the South East Victorian Region.

Contact

For further information please contact:

Alex Robinson
DEC Coordinator / Teacher of the Deaf

PH: (03) 5971 6005

alexander.robinson@education.vic.gov.au

2024 Upcoming Events

Termly – Weeks 2 and 8 (Tuesday)
Hearing Australia – Onsite Audiologist Visits

19 August 2024
Deaf Sports Day (combined Secondary Schools)