Dealing with losing my job

Last night there was a final work Christmas dinner including ‘Thank you’ for working with Crosslight Trust, Hamilton, New Zealand. I was one of the staff members used to work for Crosslight Trust over seven years. My job role was a Community Support Worker/Tutor in Literacy/Numeracy/NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) for the Deaf, Hearing Impaired and DeafBlind. But I am still working until the 22nd of December 2016 under Crosslight Trust. Let me explain what this business do and how does this business helps in the community….The Crosslight Trust established in 1988 and it was known as Barnabas Community House. They provided a full range of services, programmes and practical assistance to the community of Frankton and Dinsdale, West Hamilton area. Then came in 1998, we have had an Op Shop which was a second-hand shop for many low-income people and counselling. Finally the last of the services and assistance to the community were Cafe (Creative Activities for Elderly) and my work as Community Support Worker for the Deaf, Hearing Impaired and DeafBlind. Our service provided many food parcels, supporting and assisting many people who were on the income benefits by the Government.Sadly, this work place forced to closed down due to insufficient of funding by the Government and other organisations. Because our soon to be ex-workplace was under the Non-Profit Organisations. The only services, programmes and practical assistances – Op Shop, counselling and my work were shutting down, and leaving food parcels bank to another organisation under the Catholic Service and Cafe to another church – West Hamilton Community. It was a bit of blow for me because my work with the Deaf, Hearing Impaired and Deafblind is lost in the community and leaving them to the organisations such as Deaf Aotearoa, Blind Foundation and Hearing Association in Hamilton. These organisations do not have the same kind of services which I provide assisting, supporting in literacy/numeracy even teaching NZSL in workplaces. Each persons, I support and assisting them were not very happy but they will have to put up with the Deaf Aotearoa service which limited to their needs etc. It is a barrier and there are gaps between one organisation to another organisation.This morning I was looking back to the past when I started in 2008 and the people who I worked with and supported them. There were so many funny sides, most embarrassed things that they have done wrong, travelling out to the prison to teach one Deaf man for his literacy and the list so on.. One chap who is over severy-two came into my office and he showed me his ‘burnt’ hearing aids. I could not laugh in front of him and I asked him how he does do this. His replied was simple logic – put in the microwave to dry out the damp and wetness before going out to a Black & White Tie dinner. His hearing aids got damp and wet due to the shower while he was walking around the park and he realised that he was running late for dinner. He put his hearing aid in the microwave while he had a shower. I asked him if his audiologist explained the golden rule about putting the hearing aid in a safe place for drying out. What he replied was NO. The next problem was his insurance company refused to pay him for the replaced hearing aid and I emailed his insurance company if they were aware of the cost of hearing aids. The Insurance company replied was less than NZ$400.00 and I replied to them saying it was over NZ$1,000. It seemed logic that most of the staff at the Insurance Company have no idea on the cost of our disabilities equipment. We sorted out with his Insurance Company and this chap got a replaced hearing aid along with a bright Yellow stick-note “DO NOT PLACE HEARING AID IN THE MICROWAVE”. This Insurance Company staff have learnt about us – People with disabilities including Deaf, Hearing Impaired and DeafBlind. They changed and updated the policy through the Head Office based in Australia. Another memory was the trip to the prison once a week; I went through the barrier of gates and staff checked me. One day I waited and waited by the special way of testing at the gates where there were video cameras around and finally got in. Why? When I was at the barrier gate, and there was a guy doing ride on mower which was so loud. The staff realised what the problem was and I spoke to the top security officer to discuss over this accessible for me as a dea

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