Deafblind communication: Building professional competencies . This project aims to improve the quality of interpreting/support services provided to deafblind Australians by analysing the communication strategies used by deafblind sign language users. Many deafblind people use a modified form of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) to communicate, yet little is known about how interpreters or support workers should adapt their signing when working with deafblind clients to ensure effective communica ....Deafblind communication: Building professional competencies . This project aims to improve the quality of interpreting/support services provided to deafblind Australians by analysing the communication strategies used by deafblind sign language users. Many deafblind people use a modified form of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) to communicate, yet little is known about how interpreters or support workers should adapt their signing when working with deafblind clients to ensure effective communication. This project would develop evidence-based training and resources for these professionals. This should provide significant benefits such as improved communication between deafblind clients and professionals, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of support service provision for deafblind people.Read moreRead less
Talking through touch: adapting sign languages for use by Deafblind people. This project intends to investigate tactile Australian Sign Language (Auslan), the sign language of deafblind Australians. People who are both deaf and blind are at high risk of social isolation and often have only a limited number of people with whom they can communicate fluently. Those who were born deaf and lose vision as adults often use a tactile form of sign language, but how visual sign languages are modified for ....Talking through touch: adapting sign languages for use by Deafblind people. This project intends to investigate tactile Australian Sign Language (Auslan), the sign language of deafblind Australians. People who are both deaf and blind are at high risk of social isolation and often have only a limited number of people with whom they can communicate fluently. Those who were born deaf and lose vision as adults often use a tactile form of sign language, but how visual sign languages are modified for tactile delivery is poorly understood. Drawing on conversational data from experienced tactile signers, the project will use conversation analysis to document and describe tactile Auslan. This analysis aims to inform interpreter and case worker training and to contribute to our understanding of touch as a previously underexplored language modality.Read moreRead less