Blog | Awesome Auslan

We are not the same: Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and American Sign Language (ASL)

Many countries around the world have their own sign language. In Australia, we have Auslan. Some people mistakenly assume that ASL might stand for Australian Sign Language – It is easy to see where the confusion may come from! However, ASL actually stands for American Sign Language which is used in North America (USA and Canada). Australian […]

Auslan & Appropriation – Why We are so Protective Of Our Language

You may notice that there’s an almost fierce protectiveness over our language by some of our Deaf community members. There are a few very valid reasons for this. Historically, the Deaf community has had to fight not only for recognition of and ‘permission’ to use our language, but also fight to even be seen as […]

Auslan – How it is written and spelled

Most people in Australia speak Englisch. Many would agree that ENGLISH is hard to learn. If these two sentences felt a little strange to read – the first one because it is misspelt (Englisch), the second because it is unnecessarily capitalised (ENGLISH) – then welcome to Auslan where this happens all the time. All. The. […]

Dialects in Auslan – Northern vs Southern

When learning Auslan in Australia, you will inevitably learn about the northern and southern dialects. I have noticed some confusion and concern around dialectical differences by new Auslan learners time and time again. Let’s explore Auslan dialect and hopefully I can share why I believe learners shouldn’t be so worried about it. Firstly, let’s look […]

How to Learn Sign Language in Queensland

In Queensland, there can be some confusion about the path for learning Auslan. I hope to offer an unbiased (but not necessarily comprehensive) description here that will provide some clarity around how Auslan learning can look for people and suggest some options along the way. I used to work for Deaf Connect (previously Deaf Services) […]

What Terminology to Use

Many minority groups have terms that are preferred and some to be avoided (consider Aboriginal/Indigenous communities and members of LGBTQI+ community pronoun usage). Naturally, the Deaf community – a linguistic minority group – has its own preferences. Before we discuss terminology, remember to always ask the person with whom you are interacting what THEIR preferred terms are. […]

Smile and Nod

My nana is going deaf. (She’s 93 years old now but started losing her hearing about a decade ago). Being the only Deaf person in my family, it has been such an interesting experience for me to share with her. My uncles (her sons) mumble, speak softly, have beards and moustaches, cover their mouths when […]

Concentration Fatigue

I loved reading as a kid; I was a voracious reader. Looking back now, I realise it was because when I was reading, I never ‘missed’ a thing. The minute I look up from a book, I instantly miss so much. I can’t hear the speaker on the TV as the music plays in the […]

The Inbetweener

While I am redhead, white-skinned and freckly, many of my brother and sisters are of Samoan descent. My little sister Ka-Lani and I have had some interesting discussions about how it feels to be in between two cultures; her cultures being Australian (our mum) and Samoan (her father), mine being Deaf and Hearing. I didn’t […]