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Media ArticleA parent's battle for her Deaf son's educationMedia Release - 6 December 2001Laila Peters's five-year-old twins, Aleksandar and Filip, are due to start school in February 2002. But Aleksandar, who is profoundly deaf, has nowhere to go.The ACT Department of Education has resisted Peters' numerous requests to provide Aleksandar with access to a Bilingual/Bicultural education programme despite proven success rates nationally and internationally. "The Bilingual/Bicultural programme meets Aleksandar's linguistic and cultural needs," Peters said. "But Aleksandar's access to such a programme is continually blocked by the ACT Department of Education's refusal to provide accessible education," she said. The Bilingual/Bicultural philosophy stresses the importance of providing Deaf students with access to education through their native language, which in Aleksandar's case is Auslan (Australian Sign Language). When Auslan is the first language for Deaf children, it allows them to start school with language comparable to their hearing peers. English is then taught as a second language. Karen Lloyd, Manager of Deaf Australia stresses that Deaf people lead bilingual lives and use mostly Auslan as well as written and spoken English in their everyday lives. "Deaf people should have the opportunity to contribute to all aspects of economic, political and social life of Australian society through their native language - Auslan. To do this, a Bilingual/Bicultural education in both Auslan and English is necessary," Lloyd said. Meanwhile, Peters refuses to give up. "Aleksandar has every right to an accessible education," Peters said. "In order for Aleksandar's needs to be taken seriously I had to retain the services of an expert in the field of deaf education and research, Dr Linda Komesaroff, and a lawyer, from Melbourne for my next meeting with the Director of Schools (Southside), Craig Curry, on Friday 7 December," she said. Dr Komesaroff will also talk about the Bilingual/Bicultural philosophy at 6pm on Friday 7 December at the Grant Cameron Community Centre on Mulley Street, Holder. Members of the public are welcome. ContactLaila Peters Dr Linda Komesaroff Karen Lloyd - Manager, Deaf Australia |