Indigenous sign languages are getting the word out with hearing loss striking 43pc of First Nations people
When Mikeasha Duncan is in a loud classroom she struggles to hear individual voices clearly.
"I can't hear the teachers or my friends so it's hard to learn in school," she said.
It's not an uncommon problem among Indigenous students.
According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, 43 per cent of First Nations Australians aged seven and above have some form of hearing loss.
Mikeasha trying an Indigenous sign language. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Mikeasha is a year eight student at Kempsey High School on the New South Wales Mid North Coast where she started learning sign language last year.
She previously had to try to rely on lip reading to understand her teachers and peers.
"Learning Auslan makes me think there's a possible way for me to communicate with other people and learn new things," Mikeasha said.
"I am able to connect with my culture with the sign language."
43 per cent of Indigenous Australians above the age of seven experience some form of hearing loss. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
In a bid to better support deaf and hard-of-hearing students, Australian Sign Language (Auslan) is being introduced to the New South Wales school curriculum.
Indigenous Sign Languages (ISL) will also be part of the syllabus.
The plan is to have Auslan and ISL in the syllabus by 2026, but some regional NSW schools are already teaching both.
Rodney Adams, who is both deaf and Indigenous, is a hearing support teacher with the state's education department and works at the Kempsey and Macksville high schools.
He teaches Auslan along with some revitalised Indigenous sign language from the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions.
Mr Adams said that officially recognising Indigenous sign languages as part of the Auslan syllabus would bring a "massive transformational change".
"It's actually incredibly important," he said.
"We can focus solely on Auslan, but I know that there are many sign languages in Australia that we have forgotten about.
"So we do need to add that into the syllabus as well."
While Indigenous spoken languages are being revitalised, Rodney Adams wants to include Indigenous sign languages. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Creating an inclusive environment
Mr Adams, who is also a research affiliate with the University of Sydney and lecturer for Aboriginal and Disabilities Studies, has been working with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to add Indigenous sign languages as a component of the Auslan syllabus
He said that when Indigenous spoken languages are taught in schools then community understanding helps reduce racism.
"In the same way, with teaching Auslan and Indigenous signed languages, there's a hope that the levels of audism are reduced," Mr Adams says.
Audism is the belief that the ability to hear makes one superior to those with hearing loss.
Rodney Adams signed Christine Anu's My Island Home using ISL words and Auslan. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian )
Mr Adams said studies show that revitalising Indigenous languages helps support the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"It's the same with teaching Auslan and Indigenous signed languages," he said.
The power of song
Kerry Krenitis is the assistant principal for the state's education department's Mid North Coast Hearing Support unit.
She also already incorporates some Auslan into classroom settings, championing the new addition to the school curriculum.
Ms Krenitis has been using songs to engage the whole class and encourages her deaf students to team-teach some Auslan words and the alphabet.
"Most kids really love learning sign language and focus really well,"she said.
"Using a visual way of teaching is important for all kids."
Kerry Kranitis teaches Auslan to the year two class of a deaf child she supports at Port Macquarie Public School. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
Ms Krenitis and Mr Adams have been working closely with Aboriginal Education Officers, language teachers, and Indigenous elders as they strive to include Auslan and ISL into their classrooms.
"They've showed us their Welcome to Country and they're very keen to incorporate sign with those songs," Ms Krenetis said.
"Just creating an inclusive environment and showing that Auslan in a viable, rich language."
Deaf Day Out
Ms Krenitis is also one of the organisers of the Deaf Day Out.
It's an annual one-day event that invites students from around the Mid North Coast to be part of a community, alongside deaf adult role models.
Bringing deaf adult role models to events like Deaf Day Out inspires the children with different ways to communicate. (ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian)
At the most recent Deaf Day Out in Port Macquarie, Mikeasha Duncan and other students were taught how to sign Christine Anu's song My Island Home.
They used the ISL word for Australia, which is a fist sitting on the back of the hand.
Mr Adams says the sign represents Uluru on the continent of Australia.
"Whereas Auslan is a very colonial language," he said.
Mikeasha said she and her friends were excited about the prospect of learning more ISL.
"I like how I can be with people that I can connect with because I'm not the only deaf person there,"she said.