Miss-Delectable
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They're deaf and proud | Stuff.co.nz
"My name is D.E.N.I.S.E. What's your name?"
It's such a basic greeting but I'm struggling to remember the right finger and hand movements in New Zealand Sign Language.
My tutor Mita Moses is deaf but he patiently repeats the movements until I do it right, emphasising where I have gone wrong.
He shows me how New Zealand Sign Language is more than just hand movements – facial expressions and body movements also play a part.
NZSL has been New Zealand's third official language for five years and more than 29,000 people use it either fully or partially in their day-to-day lives.
New Zealand Sign Language Week was held from May 2 to 8 to celebrate the language and raise awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community.
An expo was held in Whangarei last Monday with free New Zealand Sign Language taster classes, a display of deaf art and information about services for the deaf or hard of hearing.
The inaugural expo was organised by Alana Best from Deaf Aotearoa's Whangarei office, a former Whangarei Girls' High School student who is deaf.
"The idea is to let people know that we're deaf, we're here and we're proud," she says through an interpreter.
Equipment such as smoke alarms with a vibrating pad placed under a deaf person's pillow to wake them up in a fire is very important, she says.
"Safety is really important to deaf people – they need access to vibrating smoke alarms.
"If they don't have access to that equipment it's very likely that their lives will be at risk."
Deaf Aotearoa chief executive Rachel Noble says five years on from the passing of the New Zealand Sign Language Act there are still serious gaps around the implementation and teaching of NZSL.
Whangarei-based Aims interpreter Tania Davidson says she interprets at the likes of court appearances, parent-teacher interviews, health consultations, funerals and weddings.
Deaf Aotearoa runs NZ Sign Language classes for $60 a term, call 437-2022 or go to Your Page Title for more information.
"My name is D.E.N.I.S.E. What's your name?"
It's such a basic greeting but I'm struggling to remember the right finger and hand movements in New Zealand Sign Language.
My tutor Mita Moses is deaf but he patiently repeats the movements until I do it right, emphasising where I have gone wrong.
He shows me how New Zealand Sign Language is more than just hand movements – facial expressions and body movements also play a part.
NZSL has been New Zealand's third official language for five years and more than 29,000 people use it either fully or partially in their day-to-day lives.
New Zealand Sign Language Week was held from May 2 to 8 to celebrate the language and raise awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community.
An expo was held in Whangarei last Monday with free New Zealand Sign Language taster classes, a display of deaf art and information about services for the deaf or hard of hearing.
The inaugural expo was organised by Alana Best from Deaf Aotearoa's Whangarei office, a former Whangarei Girls' High School student who is deaf.
"The idea is to let people know that we're deaf, we're here and we're proud," she says through an interpreter.
Equipment such as smoke alarms with a vibrating pad placed under a deaf person's pillow to wake them up in a fire is very important, she says.
"Safety is really important to deaf people – they need access to vibrating smoke alarms.
"If they don't have access to that equipment it's very likely that their lives will be at risk."
Deaf Aotearoa chief executive Rachel Noble says five years on from the passing of the New Zealand Sign Language Act there are still serious gaps around the implementation and teaching of NZSL.
Whangarei-based Aims interpreter Tania Davidson says she interprets at the likes of court appearances, parent-teacher interviews, health consultations, funerals and weddings.
Deaf Aotearoa runs NZ Sign Language classes for $60 a term, call 437-2022 or go to Your Page Title for more information.