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All About ACARA
Why was ACARA needed? ACARA was established in May 2006 to regulate, research and support the Australian Sign Language (Auslan, which is the official language of Australian Deaf people) industry on behalf of its members and to generally promote and lobby on behalf of the language and the interests of its users. ACARA arose from growing concern amongst parents, carers, teachers and other profesionals regarding support services, products and other services, including educational, that were not based on or included invalid Australian Sign Language (Auslan). Examples include the dramatic increase in ASL, BSL and 'made up language' based products and courses available with Australia and their apparent ease of entry and public accessability. In many cases their products and services are being marketed in such a way as to be easily perceived as "valid for use within the Australian Signing Community" (or even as Auslan in basis), when this is simply not the case for a great number of these resources and services. Repeatedly such resources and services, some even claiming to be "Australian Sign Language", have received mass media support, and are readily available within popular retail sectors. Some are even being used daily within our childcare centres, without the user being aware of the differences. A number of unsuspecting parents of Sign dependant children had unwittingly purchased and begun using the signs within these products, only to discover later that the language they have begun to learn and use with their child was not Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and not communicable with other Australian signing adults and children! "There was something very wrong within the industry.
If I was to make up my own oral language and sell it as a
'Dictionary of French' this would quiet clearly be illegal. Yet, as
there was no 'Regulating Authority' overseeing the national interests of
Australian Signing Language there was simply no regulation at all"
(Lee Bilby, President and founding member of ACARA).
ACARA's recent accomplishments! We are very proud to announce that in our first week of trading ACARA successfully revoked two separate products from the catalogue of a national company who are involved in the provision of resources and support for students with disabilities and/or learning difficulties. Both these products were non Auslan based. They have asked to remain anonymous and are deeply embarrassed by their support of products that were not Auslan based. The Board of Directors of ACARA would like to thank the company for their efficient and immediate removal of the Foreign Sign Language products from their online catalogue, both of which were easily implied as being Australian Sign (Auslan) in basis and not labelled as being based on a foreign Sign Language. We understand that the products "slipped through" their normal scrutineering of products. We also thank the Marketing Manager for her assurance that the organisation will "make sure that we do not include any American Sign Resources" within their product range in the future. For more about our accomplishments please see NEWS Who are the founding Members? ACARA was founded on the encouragement of innumerable individuals and associations, and we thank them all for their ongoing support. The practical administration and financial commitment fell on the shoulders of three individuals willing to make a stand and wear the legal responsibility of that stand. They are our founding members:
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