Auslan for Business

Deaf Awareness Training (DAT)

Deaf Awareness Training is a presentation designed to give you an understanding of Deaf Culture. This training will give you insight into how to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people and an understanding of the language they use – Auslan.

How to Book

Our DAT is a two (2) hour session presented by a Deaf person with an Auslan Interpreter. For further information please contact our office

Auslan and English

Auslan and English are two different languages. The structure of English is ‘subject’, ‘verb’, then ‘objective’. Auslan is a visual and spatial language, its structure is ‘time’, the ‘topic’, and then ‘comment’. Auslan does not have signs for ‘is’, ‘the’, or the suffix ‘-ing’, and these are not incorporated into the language. For example, in English both ‘go’ and ‘went’ are used, in Auslan, the same sign is used for both words. If a person’s first language is Auslan, it is common that they will write based on the structure of Auslan instead of English.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Did you know 1 in 6 people in Australia are Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

Hard of Hearing means someone with mild to moderate hearing loss. People can have unilateral hear loss (one ear) or bilateral hearing loss (both ears). Deaf and Hard of Hearing people have different communication methods. Some people communicate using Auslan, whilst others use English, lipread or write notes.

Deaf Culture

Deaf people have different social norms as a part of their culture. For example:

– People must be facing each other to have a conversation, eye contact is essential with extra room needed for signing space.

– Lighting is important when communicating with a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person as it is a visual language.

– Pointing is a regular and necessary way of referencing in Auslan. It is not to be taken as rude or abrupt but a display to acknowledge a person or thing being discussed.

– It is also normal to lightly tap someone’s shoulder or upper arm to get their attention.

Contact Us

Audio Call

(08) 9441 2677

Video Call

0434 599 813

Email

training@accessplus.org.au

Office Address

34 Dodd St, Wembley WA 6014

Send us a message or question