Reflections of a research inside conducting qualitative research in sign language

Deaf people who use sign language are potential users of emerging telecommunications innovations such as videotelephony There has been little research that explores their thoughts and experiences in the use of this technology. In this paper, the experiences of a Deaf person as a research insider in a current telecommunications study are described and issues of researcher-participant relationship, data integrity, interview and interpreter skills, communication and cultural aspects of the participating community and the impact of this type of research are explored.

Children, Australian sign language and the web; the possibilities

This paper examines the advantages of using the World Wide Web (Web) as a resource to teach hearing primary aged children Australian Sign Language (Auslan). There is a trend towards educating signing deaf children in mainstream schools, therefore it is important to teach the hearing children sign language to enable meaningful communication and the formation of social relationships between hearing and deaf students. The authors will compare various methods of teaching sign language with the Web and further describe a selection of the available instructional material. Considerations for designing appropriate sign language teaching material for the Web are discussed particularly in the context of designing content that engages the primary school aged audience.

The validation of an Australian sign language instrument for outcome measurement of adults in mental health settings

Objective: There are currently no adult mental health outcome measures that have been translated into Australian sign language (Auslan). Without a valid and reliable Auslan outcome measure, empirical research into the efficacy of mental health interventions for sign language users is unattainable. To address this research problem the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS), a measure of general functioning, was translated into Auslan and recorded on to digital video disk for use in clinical settings. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine the reliability, validity and acceptability of an Auslan version of the ORS (ORS-Auslan).
Method: The ORS-Auslan was administered to 44 deaf people who use Auslan as their first language and who identify as members of a deaf community (termed ‘Deaf’ people) on their first presentation to a mental health or counselling facility and to 55 Deaf people in the general community. The community sample also completed an Auslan version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21).
Results: t-Tests indicated significant differences between the mean scores for the clinical and community sample. Internal consistency was acceptable given the low number of items in the ORS-Auslan. Construct validity was established by significant correlations between total scores on the DASS-21-Auslan and ORS-Auslan. Acceptability of ORS-Auslan was evident in the completion rate of 93% compared with 63% for DASS-21-Auslan.
Conclusions: This is the only Auslan outcome measure available that can be used across a wide variety of mental health and clinical settings. The ORS-Auslan provides mental health clinicians with a reliable and valid, brief measure of general functioning that can significantly distinguish between clinical and non-clinical presentations for members of the Deaf community.

Allegations of unlawful discrimination in education: parents taking their fight for Auslan to the courts

This paper examines the use of the Disability Discrimination Act (Commonwealth of Australia, 1992) by parents seeking access for their deaf children to native sign language in the classroom. It reviews a number of cases in which Australian parents have claimed indirect discrimination by educational authorities over their children's lack of access to instruction through Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and discusses the outcomes of such litigation. The policies endorsed by deafness organizations are contrasted with those of state educational authorities. The author discusses the limitations of a complaints-based system to address systemic discrimination and suggests the need for legislation to protect the linguistic rights of deaf children.

Doing it in the courts : opening research to public scrutiny

This paper analyses the positioning of researchers and their research by the courts in legal complaints brought against educational authorities. Over the past decade at least eleven formal complaints related to deaf children's access to native sign language in education have been lodged with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

This ongoing legal action has brought a pedagogical debate over educational policy into the courts. The most recent case to reach the Federal Court of Australia was taken by the families of two deaf children against a state educational authority, allegedly for failing to provide the children with an adequate education. The complainants called for teachers fluent in Auslan (Australian Sign Language) or interpreters to be employed alongside mainstream teachers.

As a researcher in this field, I have acted as an expert witness in eight of these cases, tendered my thesis as evidence, and been cross-examined in the Federal Court. Court transcripts from the two most recent cases provide the data for an analysis of the way in which legal counsel position researchers (as 'advocates', having vested interests, representing lobby groups) and interpret their research to support the legal arguments being made.

Welcome 2 my deaf world

Presents the story of two students at the Victorian College for the Deaf (VCD). They are Bethany Rose and Scott Masterson, two ordinary teenagers, who live in the extraordinary world of the deaf. But, to both, it is a world of rich culture, full of human possibility. It has its own language, Auslan, with its own rules, challenges and inspirations. It is a culture which very few people know or fully understand. This documentary gives footage of the last few months of Bethany and Scott's schooling at the college. These teenagers have dreams of success in life, and are eager to enter the wider world. The Victorian College for the Deaf is the first school for deaf kids, as well as being the only school in Australia where the Australian sign language (Auslan) is used from Prep to Year 12, helping its students prepare for life in the adult world.

Adoption of VIDEOoverIP by deaf people in the workplace

This study explored deaf employees' adoption of videocommunication-via-the Internet, allowing sign language use between deaf people, and between deaf and hearing people via Video Relay Interpreting service. Major findings included a paradigm shift from text to video communication; and, a divergence from typical adoption theory, with government intervention required to prime the adoption of videocommunication by deaf people in Australia.

Improving access to the justice system for people with communication difficulties : a training program for people working in the justice system

This training package is provided as a guide and resource to promote awareness and understanding of people who have complex communication needs and give people who work in law and justice system strategies to facilitate successful communication interactions. Complex communication needs are defined as communication problems associated with a wide range of physical, sensory and environmental causes which restrict/limit an individual's ability to participate independently in society. They and their communication partners may benefit from using Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) methods. Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) is an approach or communication system that makes it possible for a person without speech to communicate. AAC includes gestures and sign language, picture and alphabet boards and high technology electronic communication devices that produce computerised speech. Many people with complex communication needs use a combination of AAC communication to express themselves. It is hoped that this package will facilitate access to the justice system for a group of people who may experience social disadvantage as a result of their complex communication needs. The information included in the package is not exhaustive. It is designed to : provide the trainer and staff with a general understanding of complex communication needs; challenge misconceptions about people who have little or no functional speech; provide practical strategies and guidelines to assist staff to more successfully communicate with people with complex communication needs.