“It can be isolating, and that’s why there are few signing deaf people in the country,” she said.
“You will find the vast majority will live in the city, or bigger regional centres such as Geelong or Bendigo or Ballarat.
“Very few deaf people would live in a place like (Echuca-Moama); if they do, they’re more likely to speak and lip read.”
Members of the Australian deaf community use Australian Sign Language — or as it's commonly called, Auslan.
Auslan interpreters are fluent in Auslan and work as a ‘bridge' between deaf people and people who don’t know Auslan: they are a vital resource used by deaf and hard of hearing people to participate in the community and access vital health appointments, employment, emergency information, and education. They also assist at family gatherings where family members cannot use Auslan.
Janice is a retired teacher of the deaf, and has seen both first-hand and through her students how isolating it can be to be deaf without an interpreter.
She said because deafness was invisible, others didn’t realise how much people could be excluded, which could lead to social and emotional difficulties.
“People think ‘I’m the only one that’s deaf’ and it’s not until they start to explore their own identities that they find their deaf community,” she said.
“It happens more than you realise, because they’re hidden; if they’re signing you see them, but if they speak or lip read and use hearing aids or with cochlear implants, it’s hard.”
Last week, the Victorian Government announced that TAFE courses in Auslan would be added to the free TAFE list, “helping more Victorians become Auslan interpreters”.
Currently, the demand for Auslan interpreters outweighs the supply, not only locally but nationally.
Sheree Hunter — Echuca-Moama’s only certified Auslan interpreter — knows the demand all too well.
“At the moment, I’m getting tapped on the shoulder more and more to work more in Bendigo, Shepparton or other places at a distance from Echuca and I know other interpreters are now working more online to interpret via Video Relay Interpreting,” she said.
Both Sheree and Janice have made it clear the result is a step in the right direction, but both would love to see more interpreters come to regional areas.
They said that while it was great that interpreting could be done online through Zoom, Skype or other platforms, nothing was better than face-to-face interpreting.
“People in the community who learn Auslan have more understanding and awareness, because they’re not just learning Auslan, they’re learning deaf culture, history, identity, awareness, all kinds of things,” Janice said.
“There would have been a lot of lobbying behind this decision, because there is not enough interpreters all over Australia and this has been an ongoing issue for many years.
“With NDIS now, a lot of deaf people now have interpreters in their plans, and that’s never happened before. Suddenly you have deaf people wanting to go do an art class, or join their local gyms, and before there was no access to that. This has created an even stronger demand for interpreters.
“In a place like this we’re so lucky to have Sheree, but if you went to a place like Yarrawonga or Cobram or Swan Hill, for example, where are the interpreters? Maybe in the closest regional city but there is still no guarantee they will be available.”
The Diploma of Auslan course will be delivered by Melbourne Polytechnic and provides a language foundation for students to go on to further study to become an Auslan interpreter with the RMIT Advanced Diploma of Interpreting (Auslan Stream) qualification.
The Echuca-Moama Auslan Chat Group meets once a month on a Sunday for anyone currently learning Auslan and wanting to informally practise their Auslan skills.
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