International Day of Sign Languages – Motion
Wednesday 25 September 2024
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:11): I rise to support this motion. I thank the member for Torrens for bringing this important motion to the house and appreciate the contributions that I have listened to so far in regard to this motion.
My old primary school, Brighton Primary School, has had a long association in supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing students. I always enjoy now having all of those students come on my parliament tours and am looking forward to attending sports day on Friday. I am a diehard house member of Sturt, so I will be supporting green on Friday.
This is a really good opportunity for me to speak today in regard to the Centre of Deaf Education that sits as a crucial part of the Brighton Primary School community. This centre provides a caring and positive learning environment for deaf and hard-of-hearing students to develop and master their skills for their current and future learning, empowering them to be independent and lifelong learners.
The student programs there are constructed using the Australian Curriculum, and special focus is given to the areas of literacy, numeracy, STEM and all other essential learning areas. This is all part of the school's plan and future directions. The centre holds exactly the same values and aligns with the mainstream school and has exactly the same high expectations for students' academic, social and emotional success.
The Centre for Deaf Education aims to maintain an integrated and inclusive facility that meets the educational needs of all deaf and hard-of-hearing students. This is achieved through provision of high-quality educational programs, use of appropriate technologies, and implementation of relevant teaching and learning methodologies to enable students to reach their potential.
A range of class settings are available depending on the individual needs of each child. They are supported in mainstream classes with Teachers of the Deaf and Bilingual Student Support Officers, and students can access their education in the mode that best suits their needs and their preferences, using spoken language, Australian Sign Language (Auslan) or a combination of the two. Students also access the support and solidarity of the deaf world through connecting with their deaf and hard-of-hearing peers and adult role models.
These approaches complement and support each other to provide the very best foundation for students' future development, personal growth and lifelong learning. In fact, all students at Brighton Primary School learn Auslan as their Language Other Than English, and all students are equipped to participate in an integrated and inclusive learning environment.
Deaf culture and connections to the deaf community are important factors in regard to the Centre for Deaf Education. The centre welcomes children of deaf adults and their families from across Adelaide and the school community. There are opportunities for the whole school to participate in the Brighton Signing Choir, which I have enjoyed at all the primary school graduations I have attended for Brighton. It is great to see all students, regardless of whether they are mainstream students or deaf students, participate together so proudly in presenting this work to their parents.
I am not able to do this as smoothly as Minister Cook did, not knowing all the words in Auslan, but I can sign the alphabet: [simultaneously interpreted into Auslan] I support Auslan.
