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This priority is aimed at ensuring early access to NZSL. It is about ensuring deaf children / tamariki, and children who use NZSL to communicate, and families and whānau acquire, learn, and use NZSL.
NZSL learning opportunities must be available throughout childhood and adulthood. Many deaf children do not receive early access to NZSL and learn NZSL later in life. Late learning (or not learning) NZSL can result in language deprivation, and may result in poorer life-long education, employment, health, and mental health outcomes. Having learning opportunities throughout childhood would also reflect the right in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child for children to use their own language.
In addition, most deaf children / tamariki are born into hearing families in New Zealand. Many hearing parents will have had little or no exposure to NZSL or the Deaf community, so they should have the opportunity to learn NZSL alongside their child / tamaiti.
It is also important that children who are non-speaking or have difficulty communicating have opportunities to learn NZSL, and that their families and whānau are also provided with opportunities to learn NZSL.
Actions proposed for this priority area
- Ensure deaf children / tamariki, and children / tamariki who use NZSL to communicate, and families and whānau to learn NZSL together no matter the age of the child / tamaiti
- Assess and improve adequacy of information, resources, and supports for parents of deaf babies / pēpē, and children / tamariki
- Ensure learning pathways for deaf children / tamariki, and children / tamariki who use NZSL to communicate are fit for purpose
- Ensure learning pathways for Deaf adults and NZSL users to learn NZSL are fit for purpose
- Ensure data is collected on how many children are learning NZSL (including information about deaf status / non-speaking status), and how many are deaf or non-speaking children are not learning NZSL
- Elevate the role and perspectives of Deaf teachers and NZSL users as ‘kaitiaki’ of NZSL and as qualified educators
- Explore options to digitise learning modules in a way that is appropriate and acceptable to Deaf people and NZSL users