October 26, 2009: Families
in the Bega Valley Shire with children who are hearing impaired now
have a new resource, thanks to the Bega Valley Shire Library Service
and the Bega Valley Early Childhood Intervention Co-ordination
Program (ECICP).
The ECICP ran a number of
workshops on Makaton Key Word Signing in the shire throughout the
last year and has donated a number of books on the subject to the
library service.
"Makaton is a term used for a set
of principles of how to use Auslan signs to support people who have
communication difficulties," children’s’ librarian, Anne Moore,
said.
"Auslan signs were developed for
people who are hearing impaired and Makaton ‘borrows' these signs.
"However, the signs are always
used in conjunction with the spoken word. Visual symbols and/or
photos are often used as well to provide a total communication
system.
"Over the last few years the ECICP
committee has donated a number of Makaton-related resources to the
Shire's library branches to help provide easier access for families
to this information," Ms Moore said
