Siobhan Kelly, Ian McAllan, Emma Lawler and Brendan Krige from Macquarie University Library.

When Library Services Coordinator David Di Muro and Library Shelver Siobhan Kelly had the idea to offer library staff a crash course in learning Auslan, they had no idea the interest it would generate.

“Having Siobhan on my team inspired me to start learning Auslan,” said David. “I’m getting better all the time but she has been incredibly patient with me.”

Auslan is the sign language of the Australian Deaf community. It is a visual form of communication developed by, and for, Australians who are deaf or hearing impaired. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012), one in six Australians are affected by hearing loss. There are approximately 30,000 Deaf Auslan users with total hearing loss.

As a result of Siobhan and David’s sessions over half the library’s staff have learned the basics of Auslan, including the alphabet and basic conversation. Further sessions were scheduled following increased demand.

“The enthusiasm in the sessions has been great,” says Siobhan, who is also a native signer. She adds that the increased signing ability among staff has allowed her to be more engaged with her co-workers and happenings in the library. Staff are also able to better communicate with users of the library who sign.

Library Services Manager Emma Lawler says learning the basics of Auslan was an important way to encourage workplace cohesion.

“We try to encourage an inclusive workplace,” she says. “This means making an effort to learn other ways to communicate instead of assuming that others should adjust.”

Library Content and Communications Coordinator Brendan Krige adds that learning Auslan has also been a great team building exercise.

“It’s one of those things that staff can do together,” he says. “And we have a lot of fun doing it!”

For more information about AUSLAN see Auslan Signbank  or The Deaf Society of NSW.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC).