[dbaust] Re: Auslan Geelong newspaper
- From: "Richard Howell" <r.mhowell@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <dbaust@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 12:38:19 +1000
Thank you, Trudy to bring two weeks old news and keep it in history.
Yes it would be AWFUL for Deaf and Deafblind communities if not sufficent
interpreters as well wait
for three weeks would be SHAMEFUL for "deafen" and "blindness" of thoughless
Government !
from "grieivous" Richard and Nina.
_____
From: dbaust-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:dbaust-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Trudy Ryall
Sent: Friday, 8 June 2012 11:19 AM
To: dbaust@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; sarujac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Carla Anderson
Subject: [dbaust] Auslan Geelong newspaper
Shock as sign language training given the flick
Mandy Squires | May 29th, 2012
NOT HAPPY: Laura Radnay and Natasha Maddock are Auslan signers who are going to
miss out on their
qualifications. They are signing the word 'Support'. This is a phot of them.
Photo taken by MIKE
DUGDALE
WHEN Geelong's Natasha Maddock gave up her corporate career to become an
interpreter for the deaf,
she could never have imagined it would be the State Government that delivered
the thumbs down to her
dreams.
One year into a two-year, full-time Australian Sign Language (Auslan) course at
the Richmond campus
of Kangan Institute, Ms Maddock, 34, said she was devastated to learn the
course would not be
continued next year because of State Government funding cuts to the TAFE sector.
Speaking from her Grovedale home with fellow Geelong student, Laura Radnay, Ms
Maddock said she gave
up a promising position with a global company in June last year, to pursue a
long-held dream of
learning
<http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2012/05/29/329341_news.html#> sign
language
and becoming an interpreter for the deaf.
Ms Maddock said it was not an easy decision to make as she had a partner and
mortgage to consider.
"Despite me not being a morning person, I'm catching the 7.09am train to
Melbourne from South
Geelong four mornings a week and I am just loving the course," she said. "Like
everyone else in the
course, I'm passionate about it."
Ms Maddock said axing the Auslan course next year would leave her six-months
short of completing the
Kangan Institute diploma, and therefore unable to start RMIT's one-year Auslan
interpreter course.
"Ted, you are gorn buddy. Who the hell would want to vote for your government
now?"
She would also be almost $3000 out-of-pocket for course fees.
Ms Maddock said when her class was told the course would be cut, students
started crying.
"When the news came through, you could hear a pin drop in the room, people were
just absolutely
devastated," she said.
"I, personally, didn't know whether to cry or vomit. There were tears. Not just
from the students;
the head of the department actually broke down as he was delivering the news.
"There was a massive
amount of shock because we didn't think it could actually happen. While we had
heard about the State
Government cuts to the TAFE budget, we thought that given this course was
teaching towards a vital
service, surely commonsense would prevail and this would be a course which
wasn't touched."
Ms Maddock said there was already a significant shortage of Auslan interpreters
in Victoria,
particularly in regional areas.
She said it was not uncommon for hearing-impaired people to have to wait three
weeks or more for an
interpreter to become available for court cases or important business
<http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2012/05/29/329341_news.html#>
meetings.
The situation will only become worse in regions like Geelong after the Kangan
Auslan course is cut.
<mailto:mandy.squires@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
mandy.squires@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From Geelong advertiser May 29th, 2012
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