Issues affecting the Deaf Community
Introductory Information
The Deaf community is a sub-culture with it's own set of social conventions, just lake any other cultural group.
If you are hearing, You Can't Ask That - Deaf is a great place to begin your research because it has real people from the deaf community giving opinions about all the things you probably want to know but know it will be rude to ask. Another useful site is the Aussie Deaf Kids landing page, which gives an overview of how the Deaf community works, as well as a guide to what might be considered polite in your interactions with Deaf people.
If you are serious about engaging with the Deaf community, you should try to learn as much Auslan as you can. Even if you only speak a few wrods of Auslan, your effort will be appreciated. You can access Auslan courses through The Deaf Society (currently $220) and TAFE (basic courses are free). If you already know some Auslan, try joining Auslan Practice groups or other meet-ups run by the Deaf Society. Finding somone to practice with is important because you will need to learn to recognise the signs as they appear when you use them, as well as how they look "backwards" when you see someone else using them (a mirror isn't enough because a mirror will reverse the left and right). You may find Signbank dictionary of assistance in learning Auslan, but Auslan has it's own grammar so it's not all you'll need to learn to communicate.
If you are hearing, You Can't Ask That - Deaf is a great place to begin your research because it has real people from the deaf community giving opinions about all the things you probably want to know but know it will be rude to ask. Another useful site is the Aussie Deaf Kids landing page, which gives an overview of how the Deaf community works, as well as a guide to what might be considered polite in your interactions with Deaf people.
If you are serious about engaging with the Deaf community, you should try to learn as much Auslan as you can. Even if you only speak a few wrods of Auslan, your effort will be appreciated. You can access Auslan courses through The Deaf Society (currently $220) and TAFE (basic courses are free). If you already know some Auslan, try joining Auslan Practice groups or other meet-ups run by the Deaf Society. Finding somone to practice with is important because you will need to learn to recognise the signs as they appear when you use them, as well as how they look "backwards" when you see someone else using them (a mirror isn't enough because a mirror will reverse the left and right). You may find Signbank dictionary of assistance in learning Auslan, but Auslan has it's own grammar so it's not all you'll need to learn to communicate.
Deaf community
- https://www.wheelercentre.com/notes/expression-feeling-and-amazing-imagination-trudy-fraser-on-auslan-storybooks
- https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/teaching-sign-language-to-hearing-parents-of-deaf-children-an-act
- https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/62146340/Publisher+version+%28open+access%29.pdf
Auslan and Signed English
- https://www.waad.org.au/free-auslan-posters
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- https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2016/dec/14/signing-songs-what-do-concerts-sound-like-when-you-cant-hear-the-music
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-26/should-auslan-signing-be-taught-as-second-language-in-schools/10004138
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-19/deaf-community-hails-school-rollout-of-auslan-curriculum/8132474
- https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6029338/emily-quinn-smyths-push-to-expand-auslan-signs-for-science-study/
It's not just hearing impaired people who speak Auslan; in this video from ABC iview, Kiah (who is a