NextSense

12/10/2026

Congratulations to Josh on winning Youth Blind Australian of the Year! We're so proud to have supported you since you were a baby & look forward to all the amazing things you'll achieve 🙌

🏆 Joshua Wood - Youth Blind Australian of the Year

Joshua is an outstanding young achiever, champion blind golfer and university student studying architecture and engineering at QUT. He is passionate about inclusion, STEM education, braille literacy and helping others realise their potential.

Why Joshua was nominated:
Joshua was recognised for his exceptional academic and sporting achievements, including becoming the youngest Australian in blind golf history to win an open national tournament. His leadership, international recognition and dedication to community service demonstrate what young people with vision impairment can achieve.

Congratulations Joshua, we are all so proud of you.

Image Description: Joshua is standing in front of the awards media wall on the red caper in a black suit and a big smile as he shows off his trophy.

11/10/2026

We love seeing more Auslan on screen 💙

Every episode of Bluey is now available in Auslan on ABC iview, bringing this much-loved series to even more Deaf children & families.

Here’s to more access & representation!

11/10/2026

We are on our way to Canberra! ✨ 📢

And Hallie, a shining example of what’s possible, will be coming with us to the 10th annual Power of Speech event, organised by First Voice.

Along with six other youth representatives from around Australia, Hallie will share stories about all that can be achieved by children who are deaf or hard of hearing with early access to cochlear implants & ongoing specialist care.

We look forward to seeing our fellow First Voice members there, such as The Shepherd Centre, TSH, Hear and Say, The Hearing House, CanDo Hearing Audiology Clinic. Thanks to the Cochlear Australia and New Zealand for their support of the event.

Watch the Power of Speech 2026 livestream from 7:00am on Tuesday, 13 October: https://bit.ly/4jdp9GW

09/10/2026

The countdown to Loud Shirt Day is on & no one rocks it quite like our incredible client Isabella! 👕

For the past five years, Isabella & her family have proudly created their own colourful shirts to raise awareness & funds for children with hearing loss 💛

Isabella was born with moderate hearing loss in both ears & diagnosed at just 4 weeks old. By 7 weeks, she was fitted with hearing aids & by 4 months she began early intervention with NextSense.

Thanks to the incredible support she’s received Isabella is thriving. While she’s faced challenges along the way, her journey shows just how vital the ongoing support can be.

💥 Next Friday 16 October, join Isabella in getting LOUD! Wear your brightest, wackiest shirt & donate via the NextSense Loud Shirt Day page to help more children like Isabella reach their full potential.

👉 https://bit.ly/4zsjRfA

08/10/2026

It's World Sight Day! 🙂 📢✨

Find out how NextSense supports children & young people who are blind or have low vision in this short interview with Karen Cutts.

Karen is our National Services Governance Manager – Blindness & Low Vision, and has more than 20 years’ experience. Starting out as an early childhood teacher, who then gained experience in service leadership, governance & sensory disability, she has a deep understanding of the services that can improve outcomes for people who are blind & have low vision.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4yDM4Qg

To celebrate World Sight Day, we sat down with Karen Cutts, our National Services Governance Manager – Blindness and Low Vision.

07/10/2026

The 2026 Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf (ITOD) Conference was a valuable day of learning, connection & sharing ideas 💚

Teachers of the Deaf came together to explore culturally & linguistically responsive teaching, supporting students experiencing language deprivation, building self-advocacy skills in teens using hearing technology & improving outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Thank you to all the presenters & Teachers of the Deaf who shared their research & expertise.

06/10/2026

Our final NextSense Conversations session for 2026 brings together Trudy Smith, Manager of Continuing Education, & guest speaker Kylie Chisholm, Greater Australia Network Manager.

With 20 years of experience in the cochlear implant field, Kylie brings extensive knowledge across clinical practice, leadership & service delivery.

Join Trudy & Kylie for an insightful conversation exploring the delivery of specialist services across regional & remote communities.

📅 Wednesday 7 October 2026
⏰ 10am–10.30am, followed by morning tea for in-person guests
📍 2 Gymnasium Rd, Macquarie Park NSW 2113, or join online

Register to join online: https://bit.ly/3W8WXet

04/10/2026

Grand Final fever has hit NextSense! 🏉

Our long-term client Linkan is a passionate Roosters fan, while his NextSense Occupational Therapist, Olivia, is proudly backing the Knights ❤️💙

With plenty of friendly banter about who’ll take the win, there’s definitely some bragging rights on the line!

And with James Tedesco as Linkan’s favourite player, we know who he’ll be cheering for. Bring on the Grand Final!

02/10/2026

Two weeks to go We're counting down to Loud Shirt Day on 16 October 👕 Get on board to raise money for children who are deaf or hard of hearing - register a team, get out your loudest shirt & get fundraising, or donate via our page: https://bit.ly/4xAF9qL

02/10/2026

Have you ever wondered how our Accessibility & Inclusion team support people who are blind or who have low vision?

In the next instalment of our Conversation Series, where we interview our experts to understand how their work is changing lives, we chat to our Manager of Accessibility & Inclusion, Sonali Marathe.

Sonali is not short of inspiring stories when it comes to the high achievements of the students she works with but explains that the impact of accessible information extends far beyond educational outcomes

Watch the conversation to hear more about the unsung value of producing materials in accessible formats for people who are blind or who have low vision: https://bit.ly/3VgL7Pj