Who are we?
July 2021: The sub committee gathers together to go through the submissions received. So many submissions with awesome artifacts, photographs, news articles and more!
Image description: Six Auslan: Now & Then sub committee members together. All are smiling and looking at the camera.
Front from left to right: Christy Filipich, Dawn Harrison, Patricia Levitzke-Gray
Back from left to right: Robyn Tsapazi, Trish Townsend and Josie Hodgetts
Image description: Brady Bunch style photo collage with 9 boxes.
From left to right, top to bottom -
Box 1: Dawn Harrison;
Box 2: Auslan Now and Then Sub-committee;
Box 3: Robyn Tsapazi;
Box 4: Patricia Levitzke-Gray;
Box 5: 18 & 19 September Boola Bardip WA Museum events@ waad.org.au www.facebook/auslanatboolabardip;
Box 6: Trish Townsend;
Box 7: Josie Hodgetts;
Box 8: A partnership between WAAD and ASLIA (WA);
Box 9: Christy Filipich
The Western Australian Association of the Deaf (WAAD) is the Western Australian branch of Deaf Australia. Deaf Australia is for all deaf, hard of hearing and non-deaf people and organisations (not-for-profit, for profit or government) that use and/or accept and respect Auslan (Australian Sign Language). As the deaf-led peak organisation representing deaf people in Australia, Deaf Australia promotes the advancement of human rights and equality for deaf people by collaborating with its members and stakeholders in implementing the United Nations Conventions and the National Disability Strategy.
The state branch, WAAD, is focused on representing the needs and interests of the Deaf community of Western Australia. It is governed by a Board, of volunteers, all of whom contribute their time, commitment, and expertise to advocate and support the WA Deaf community. WAAD hosts a number of cultural events throughout the year, such as the Auslan Professional Network and Deaf Community Markets, as well as National Week of Deaf People festivities – a week-long celebration of the Deaf community, Auslan, our culture and heritage – which takes place in September each year.
The Australian Deaf community have a very rich and proud history dating back over 200 years with Deaf people documented as both convicts and free settlers. Since these early times the Deaf community has developed into a rich and thriving community within which is great diversity and inclusivity. This diverse community includes those who have Auslan as their first language, those who came to Auslan later in life, First Nations Deaf people with their traditional sign languages, Deaf people who have migrated to Australia bringing their sign languages, and allies of the Deaf community – those people who work with, support and respect this community.
The Deaf community view themselves as a cultural linguistic minority with a rich history, culture and language to be proud of, one that they are keen to tell and one that has added to and enhanced the cultural and linguistic diversity that is Australia of today.
WAAD is proud to showcase many of these unknown stories through this website and encourage all to enjoy and appreciate the many journeys, challenges, life experiences told and shared by the Deaf community of Western Australia.
The Australian Sign Language Interpreters’ Association of WA (ASLIA (WA)) has been leading and promoting best practice in sign language interpreting across Australia for over 30 years. From humble beginnings in 1989 with the establishment of a registry of six Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreters by the WA Deaf Society, AWAID (as it was known at that time) was quickly formed to assist credentialed interpreters in maintaining skills and codes of professional conduct. A few years later, in 1992, individual state and territory associations agreed to come together under one National banner with state branches and as such, ASLIA (WA) was formally adopted.
Over the years, ASLIA (WA) has cemented its place as the professional association for Auslan interpreters in WA, providing professional development and networking opportunities for interpreters, aspiring interpreters, and the Deaf Community. These events range from small workshops to retreats attracting delegates nationally, and conferences which have attracted international presenters and delegates.
ASLIA (WA) also promotes and advocates for the rights of interpreters and the Deaf Community by working with organisations and government, providing advice and feedback to policies such as the WA State Language Policy, and through involvement on the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) Regional Advisory Committee. Through this industry consultation Deaf Interpreters were introduced into NAATIs credentialling system and the first two Deaf Interpreters to receive their National NAATI credentials were ASLIA (WA) members.
ASLIA (WA) remains one of the WA Deaf Community’s strongest allies and works collaboratively with the Western Australian Association of the Deaf (WAAD) to achieve positive outcomes for both these communities, accepting and embracing the diversity that lies within both ASLIA (WA) and the WA Deaf community.
