Jody Barney

2018 Cohort

Pronouns: she/her

Jody is working with many complex Indigenous communications styles, especially for Deaf and hard of hearing peoples, as a proud BirriGubba, Woppaburra Deaf woman and qualified disability cultural consultant.

Jody is an Aboriginal Disability Communications Consultant. She is based in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia from where she works nationally with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities, helping them to engage more effectively in all areas of community life. This includes training and teaching staff working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Deaf people using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sign Languages. She also works with agencies to improve their access to care and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities.

As a Deaf Aboriginal, South Sea Islander woman, she is focused on ensuring that integrity of communication is afforded to everyone. And she continues to engage and encourage Deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to be empowered and strong in following their own passion and drive for change in their families, work, and communities.

Social change work

Jody’s social change project was to work with Deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to find sustainable employment, support in caring for children with disabilities, and to reconnect with their culture, lore, and community. This included reinvesting in their languages, both Auslan and Aboriginal/Torres Strait Sign Language systems. She is still working with others on a masterclass program to improve Interpreters' work using their own sign language systems.