Family and friends of deaf and hearing impaired children meet at a Berwick cafe each week to practise their Auslan skills. From left: parent Madelene Rich, group facilitator John Beasley and Alison Baker.
By Rebecca Fraser
COFFEE shops are commonly full of chatter.
But on Tuesdays at 1pm a Berwick cafe turns virtually silent, with friends and family of deaf and hearing impaired children coming together to practise their signing skills.
Run by Deaf Children Australia, the Auslan coffee shop program encourages friends and family to come along and fine-tune their signing skills with a deaf tutor.
For one hour each week, local families meet at Ambrosia, on Bemersyde Drive in Berwick, under the guidance of group facilitator and Auslan tutor, John Beasley. Attendance is free and all people pay for is the coffee. However, a basic understanding of the language is required.
Mr Beasley, a 62-year-old from Wantirna, said most deaf children were born into hearing families. He said that while hearing families could do a short course in Auslan or have home tuition for a short time, they soon realised that if they did not practise regularly, they would lose their skills.
Deaf Children Australia developed the coffee shop meetings so families of deaf children could meet in a relaxed environment to converse in Auslan and extend their sign vocabulary. “In a coffee shop, it is more open and relaxed. It is not as intimidating as a classroom. We always have a good laugh. It’s just general conversation and I do not criticise them if they are wrong,” Mr Beasley said.
Mr Beasley said he did not teach Auslan at the meetings and was merely there as facilitator. He has seen a huge improvement in the skills of those who attend the meetings. “We try to encourage people to regularly attend so they get maximum benefit,” he said.
Berwick resident Carmen Powell, whose seven-year-old son is deaf, said the weekly sessions allowed her to better communicate with her child. “It is a great way to learn and helps you to keep your skills up,” she said.
Ambrosia is at 84 Bemersyde Drive, Berwick.For more information on Deaf Children Australia, call 1800 645 916 or log on to www.deafchildrenaustralia.-org.au.
