On Saturday 1 August, DBV members, staff, volunteers, family and friends came together at Chadstone Bunnings for a sausage sizzle, to raise funds for DBV and promote Deafblind awareness.
Around 20 Deafblind people came to help or simply enjoy the day together. Deafblind people had different jobs, and everyone had an important role to play. Rodney handed out drinks, Jael served sausages, Kathy prepared the bread, Jackie took payments and chatted with customers, Alex moved supplies, and Michelle took on the job of cutting onions!
Another group of Deafblind people chatted together, and people waiting for sausages could see our different ways of communicating.
We used simple haptic signals while working: three pokes on the arm meant three sausages with onion, and a swipe meant a sausage without onion. There were signals for “thank you”, “someone is approaching” and “no-one around – close the lid”.
Alex, who came up with the idea for the sausage sizzle, said:
“We learnt new skills on the go. Most people were very kind and happy to support us. Some even said they didn’t want their change back. Having a public presence as a Deafblind person made us feel part of the community.”
We were also very grateful for the wonderful group of volunteers, especially Meredith Bartlett for helping organise everything. Some people came for a sausage and got roped in to help – thank you Bunnings and everyone!
