About Deaf Expo

History

Previously, Deaf Expo 1 was successfully held in Wellington in 2007. It was initially set up to celebrate the passing of the NZ Sign Language (NZSL) Act 2006. It is planned to hold Deaf Expo 2 in Auckland on 4 September 2010 prior to Deaf Awareness Week. In 2012, the organisers hope to host Deaf Expo 3 in Christchurch.

Charity Fundraiser

There is a new Deaf community initiative created to raise awareness and education of cancer in the Deaf community. From past experience, there currently appears to be little or no representation of Deaf or disabled people with cancer in New Zealand. It is possible that Deaf and hearing impaired people may be under-represented as a minority group. The Cancer Society of NZ (Auckland branch) has confirmed that few Deaf people have accessed their services in recent years.

Download letters of support:

Cancer Society - PDF 0.98Mb

NZ Breast Cancer Foundation - PDF 50Kb

As we are all aware, the NZ Disability Strategy 2001 and NZ Sign Language (NZSL) Act 2006 currently form key government policy or legislation for Deaf and hearing impaired people. This is to ensure that Deaf and hearing impaired people have good access to information and community support services that are readily available in the hearing community.

It is proposed that a number of Deaf/hearing impaired people with any form of cancer are identified as a primary target group for a charity fundraiser, which will involve a weekend of pampering and inspirational speakers from Deaf cancer survivors at a resort in Taupo. It is hoped in the future that it will grow over time and reach out to Deaf or hearing impaired people who have direct experience with cancer.

Another future initiative is to develop a resource DVD and poster accessible in NZSL or plain English on any form of cancer awareness for the Deaf community, to provide advice and support to see a GP or specialist doctor for referral. There will be guidelines on how to work with NZ Sign Language interpreters as well.