From 2023, an Australian Sign Language (Auslan) syllabus will be available in NSW schools for the first time as part of the state government's curriculum reform agenda.
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This is a far cry from when Wendy Daley grew up, where she would get in trouble from teachers for simply using sign language.
As a deaf woman, Ms Daley would have to sneak off in the playground, just to have a conversation with friends.
Speaking through an interpreter, she said: "We had to speak and lip read which was very difficult. I really didn't understand a lot about what the teacher was talking about. I felt humiliated, I felt oppressed.
"When we'd go out for play time or lunch time we'd secretly sign to each other and we'd get in trouble for that, but we tried to do small signs so the teacher couldn't see."
Tony Gorringe has been a good friend of Ms Daley since their school days and although he had the opportunity to learn sign language for part of his schooling, that too was eventually taken away.
"I went to St Gabriel's School for Deaf Boys for 11 years," he said.
"We did sign at that school at that time, but it was an Irish sign language. In 1954 we were told that all of a sudden we weren't allowed to sign any more because there was a change in policy and it's similar to what Wendy said, we would sign in secret to each other, but we would get in trouble for signing publicly or in the classroom."
So when the pair were told of the change that would see Auslan included in the syllabus for Kindergarten to year 10, they couldn't hide their excitement.
"I couldn't believe that finally, they've allowed our language to become known and hopefully now people in the community will be able to say 'hi, how are you' and just talk to deaf people. It will make our lives easier and is such a wonderful thing," Ms Daley said.
At Orange Christian School in NSW's Central West, Auslan has already been taught in classrooms for eight full years by Mel McGowen, who emphasised its importance.
"It's invaluable across the board," she said.
"In our society we talk about having this inbuilt stigma that has been plaguing disability for years, but if you want to make a change then you deal with it through youth and they step out into the community to engage.
"They may have just a few signs under their belt, but they could be going to netball or soccer on the weekend and they've seen someone who's deaf and they'll run up and sign to them."
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An Auslan teacher herself, Ms Daley said the importance of teaching sign language at a high level should not be underestimated.
"It's so important that either deaf teachers or fluent Auslan users teach Auslan, not just people learning off Youtube," she said.
"Teaching in schools, one of the things I really want to include and make people understand is that it's important that fluent signers and hopefully deaf teachers teach Auslan in schools."
Mr Gorringe echoed that point and said young and old should take up the task.
"I want to reiterate that Auslan isn't just important for deaf people to learn, but anybody," he said.