The purpose of this phenomenological study is to collect and analyse data about the lived experience of students who navigated school in New South Wales (NSW) using sign language for access. Hearing educators and medical professionals have influenced the field of Deaf education for centuries. The researcher wanted to gather firsthand feedback from ex-students, to examine the situation from their perspective.
For students in NSW schools that use Auslan (Australian Sign Language) to access the curriculum, there is no coordinated, consistent support model to ensure their authentic inclusion. Auslan is the recognised language of the Deaf community in Australia, yet the provision of robust Auslan support in schools is subject to conflicting opinions about its necessity in this era of medical and technological solutions. Families that choose to support the development of bilingualism (Auslan and English) as the model for their child’s language development, are confronted with logistical and ideological barriers.
Semi structured interviews were conducted with five participants. Interviewees all identified as Deaf, signing adults and had used Auslan for at least part of their school career. The interview questions were designed to encourage the participants to share their experience and to reflect on how their school career was affected by the support models they encountered from Kindergarten to Year 12.
The results were categorized under themes to identify the key information. These themes form the basis of the discussion section. Participants highlighted the disruption to their school careers caused by the ongoing need to find suitable school placements. They cited the challenges faced by their parents, and the lack of clear protocol at schools regarding the role of support teachers and interpreters. Participants shared that they felt isolated and confused about their identity. They were resigned to the fact that they needed to navigate between the hearing and the Deaf worlds to make their way in life, however they also wondered whether their full potential might have been met if the support model was more inclusive.
All of the participants in the study expressed the hope that NSW would adopt a bilingual approach as a proactive step towards authentic inclusion of Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) signing students. The paper concludes with a list of short- and long-term goals that would demonstrate an acceptance the linguistic autonomy of DHH deaf signing students by policy makers.