1. Tell me about your company – what industry you are in and what does your business do?
Deaf Connect is a national service provider and social impact organisation dedicated to supporting the Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing communities. As a not-for-profit organisation and registered NDIS provider in the disability sector, Deaf Connect holds an ISO 9001 certification. Our services include support work, allied health services for children and adults, lifestyle support, and aged care support and socialisation, NDIS plan management and support coordination. We also offer Auslan interpreting and translation, as well as accredited and beginner Auslan courses and community classes.
2. Can you please provide some top level information about your organisation, such as size, number of staff, office locations or similar?
Deaf Connect operates nationwide, with offices in six states and territories, including: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Our team consists of over 700 regular staff members, and in 2023, we were proud to deliver 250,000 hours of service to the Deaf community.
3. What motivated you to pursue certification?
We decided to pursue ISO 9001 certification in 2012 as we saw that it would be an advantage when applying for grants and tenders.
NDIS certification is mandatory in order to provide NDIS services, and this certification process has since helped us to identify other areas of improvement from a compliance and quality assurance perspective, underscoring the importance of continuous improvement.
4. What was your experience like when working through the certification process with Global-Mark?
Working with Global-Mark has been positive; they are responsive and well-organised. Our ongoing relationship with Global-Mark has helped them understand our unique needs, which in turn creates a smoother and more efficient audit process.
5. What is the result you’ve achieved, for example, are you satisfied with the result?
Maintaining ISO 9001 and NDIS certification reflects Deaf Connect’s commitment to continuous improvement. We value the feedback and insights provided by Global-Mark’s auditors, as it highlights areas where our attention should be focused on both now and into the future. This leads better outcomes for the community that we serve.
6. Have you observed any additional business advantages that arose as a result of achieving certification?
Achieving and maintaining ISO 9001 and NDIS certification has encouraged Deaf Connect to regularly review its Quality Management System, ensuring continuous improvement efforts align with high-quality service delivery.
For more information on Deaf Connect, click here.
