Australia Sign Language

Auslan is the language of approximately 15,000 Deaf Australians. Auslan is a visual language and is growing in popularity. By learning the fundamentals of Auslan you can help share the language with others and ultimately communicate with deaf people who use Auslan as their preferred language.

Community Auslan Classes

We offer Auslan One & Auslan Two courses for people over the age of 18 or a child with adult supervision. The Auslan courses we offer are not formally accredited, allowing you to learn the language in an informal and relaxed environment.  Upon finishing the course you will receive a certificate of completion; acknowledging that you have successfully finished that level of Auslan.

Auslan One
This course is designed for people with no previous sign language skill or knowledge. You will learn basic skills to communicate with Deaf people in Auslan on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use.

Students in this course will:

• learn expressive and receptive signing skills
• learn to communicate without using their voice
• learn to use facial and body expressions
• learn about Deaf culture

Auslan Two
This course is designed to build on the skills and knowledge learnt in the Auslan One course. You will learn more about grammatical structure and the culture of the Deaf community. It is essential to complete our Auslan One course before you can enrol in our Auslan Two course.

Students in this course will:

• Practice more intensive expressive and receptive signing skills through conversation
• Be able to provide visual cues for directions and space
• Learn how to use classifiers in context within conversations
• Learn more about the Deaf Community, its history and structure

Location
We provide Auslan courses in the following locations: Beenleigh, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Hervey Bay, Lawton (Pine River), New Farm, Mackay, Maroochydore, Maryborough, Moorooka, Toowoomba & Townsville.

We can also offer a special Auslan Course in your area depending on Auslan Tutor’s availability and if you have 6 or more expressions of interest in that location.

Costs
$150 - per person
$130 - Concession (must provide proof concession – e.g. Student ID & Health card)
$130 - Under 16 years old
$80 - Baby Sign (A parent with a baby under one year old)

Time Schedule
We provide 4 terms of Auslan courses throughout the year and commence at same time as the school terms.

Click here to see the Time Schedule for Community Auslan classes in all the different locations.
Term 3 is now closed and Term 4 for October to November is coming soon.

Enrolling in a course
There are a two easy ways you can enrol for an Auslan course. Go to the Time Schedule to pick which course you want to enrol in, then you can either......

1. Enrol on line: - click for the time schedule - choose Adult or Concession and follow the procedure of online enrolment. You can choose which payment method you'd like to process, - by Cheque, Bank Transfer or PayPal
   
   
2. Enrol by Post or Fax - Click on the 'Enrolment Form' to obtain a printable enrolment form and fax your details to (07) 3392 8511 or mail to PO Box 465, Moorooka QLD 4105 and make a payment.
   
   Email - if you have any further questions, please email auslan@deafsq.org.au

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Workplace Auslan

Workplace Auslan, which includes Deafness Awareness Training, is for those who are interested in improving their communication with co-workers, customers, clients and patients. Think about this simple 8 hour course and its benefits to your business, employees and customers.

The course is usually divided into 4 x 2 hour sessions but can also be adapted to suit your work schedule. This course is aimed at specific workplace language/conversations so the curriculum is tailored to your workplace and your needs.

Workplace Auslan courses are taught by native users of Auslan. There are subsidies for Deafness Awareness Training available in some circumstances (Auslan for Employment Programme). If you have a deaf employee let us know on your booking form and we can help you access financial support.

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Contact
Auslan Administration
915 Ipswich Road (Corner Gow St)
PO Box 465, Moorooka, 4105

Email: Auslan@deafsq.org.au
Fax: (07) 3392-8511
Phone: (07) 3892-8500
TTY: (07) 3892-8551

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Australian Sign Language Alphabet Fingerspelling is an important part of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) It doesn’t take long to learn and you can begin fingerspelling as soon as you understand the hand shapes of the alphabet. Right handed people fingerspell with the right hand and left handed people fingerspell with the left hand.  People who communicate in Auslan, use fingerspelling in about 10% or their language.  Hints for fingerspelling: The hand is raised in a comfortable position by bending the elbow. The arm does not move when fingerspelling. Shapes for the letters should be clearly formed. Pause slightly between words. Learn how to fingerspell at one of our Auslan Classes. Print out our Fingerspelling chart to help you learn the Auslan alphabet. Click here to download the Alphabet in PDF format.

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