When was auslan recognised as a language

As a native user of Auslan, and as an advocate for the language and for the Deaf community, I am thrilled to see a national curriculum in Auslan come to fruition. For the first time, deaf children will have access to a formal first language learner pathway for acquiring Auslan, acknowledging their status and strengths as visual learners and offering a ‘Deaf gain’ perspective to their lives.

In turn, the second language learner pathway provides unparalleled opportunities for hearing children to access and use Auslan in their schools and in society, reducing barriers for participation and increasing equality in the wider community.

Auslan translator

Children learning Auslan in schools have the potential to fundamentally change the social fabric of Australia.

—Drisana Levitzke-Gray, Deaf advocate and Young Australian of the Year (2015)

Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is the language of the Deaf¹ community of Australia and is descended from British Sign Language (BSL).

Auslan and other signed languages around the world are fully-fledged languages that are visual-gestural in nature. They have

is auslan a universal language

what is australian language