Devon Meadows Primary School students Callum and, back from left, Paige, Aidan, Tayla, Lachlan and Campbell make the butterfly sign in Auslan.
By Sarah Schwager
DEVON Meadows Primary School students are learning a second language different from most.
Despite the fact that there are only three deaf children at the school, students are learning Auslan (Australian sign language) as their second language.
The program came about after teacher Amber Crawford joined the ranks and decided to share her skills of the language with the students.
Difficulty finding a LOTE teacher, combined with Ms Crawford’s skills, created the class.
Ms Crawford said the students had really taken to the class, now in its second year.
“They’re really loving it,” she said.
“Because it’s not literacybased, there’s not a lot of writing. It’s all hands-on.
“It’s good to promote basic speaking skills as well. The kids have to look directly at the person they are speaking to instead of at the floor,” she said.
Ms Crawford said it also benefited the deaf children at the school.
“It makes them a bit more normal and helps them fit in. The other kids realise deafness is not a disability.”
Last week, the school celebrated Deaf Awareness Week.
They will also be running a Deaf Olympics at the end of the year where there will be no sound and they will use laser lights instead of firing guns.
Next month, the Deafness Foundation will conduct its Butterfly Badge Appeal to raise public awareness and funds to support the deaf and hearing-impaired community. The badges sell for just $2 and are available at all Victorian IGA stores.
The butterfly is the emblem of the Deafness Foundation because butterflies are deaf.
According to the Deafness Foundation, one in 10 Australians has some form of hearing loss.
