Dear Hon. Christian Porter This petition is to show our support for Drisana Levitzke-Gray young Australian of the year 2015 proposal to make Auslan available to deaf children from birth. Language development is one of the most important developmental accomplishments of early childhood and is the foundation for literacy, educational achievement and post-school opportunities (Law, Rush, Schoon, & Parsons, 2009). Without language there can be no learning. My own deaf daughter did not gain sufficient access to language until she was 7 when it became apparent speech therapy was not assisting language acquirement. As a result her learning has been severely delayed, a direct consequence of not having access to Auslan from birth. An overwhelming number of deaf children are born to hearing parents, the figure usually quoted is about 90%. Deaf people are primarily visual beings, whose eyes are their portal to the world of information and knowledge. Thus, sign language and visual strategies must be made available to deaf children as a birthright. In recognition of this we call upon the government to adopt the policy that ensures deaf children have as their birth right access to the natural visual language of the Australian Deaf community, Auslan. In line with the World Federation of the Deaf (electronic source) and the United Nations convention of rights of persons with disabilities We call upon the government to take appropriate measures for facilitating the learning of and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the deaf community for deaf children and involved people, such as:- Families of Deaf children- Teachers of Deaf children, administrators and other professionals- Professionals, including doctors and therapists, for preschool Deaf children We ask that the government supports early identification of deaf infants and youth, followed promptly with Auslan environments and educational intervention strategies and programmes, in partnerships between families, Deaf adults and professionals. We call upon the government to put into practice policies or guidelines regarding early identification of and intervention for Deaf children that maximise their visual capabilities and sign language. Furthermore we request the government provides the resources necessary for the development of effective programmes for teaching Auslan. Sincerely Racheal Tamehana Hearing Mother to Deaf daughter and Hard of Hearing Son. Law, J., Rush, R., Schoon, I., & Parsons, S. (2009). Modeling developmental language difficulties from school entry into adulthood: Literacy, mental health, and employment outcomes. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 52, 1401-1416. http://wfdeaf.org/databank/policies/education-rights-for-deaf-children