What is it?
The National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) is a week-long national celebration of Deaf individuals and the Australian Deaf community. This includes celebrating the International Week of Deaf People (IWDP) and International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) which are initiatives of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).
These two events are traditionally held during September and are based on the founding date of the WFD (23 September 1951). National Week of Deaf People is an opportunity for Deaf people to celebrate their communities, language, culture and history; make the public aware of their local, state and national Deaf communities; and to recognise their achievements.
Daily Themes
National Week of Deaf People Theme for 2024: Sign up for Sign Language Rights. We adopt the World Federation of the Deaf’s daily themes for the International Week of Deaf People for use throughout NWDP.
The 2024 daily themes were:
- Monday, 23 September 2024 | International Day of Sign Languages: Sign Up For Sign Language Rights
- Tuesday, 24 September 2024 | Inclusive Education
- Wednesday, 25 September 2024 | Sign Language Advocacy
- Thursday, 26 September 2024 | Building Resilient Deaf Communities
- Friday, 27 September 2024 | Diversity in Deaf Communities
- Saturday, 28 September 2024 | Deaf Cultural Celebrations
- Sunday, 29 September 2024 | Investing in the Future of Deaf Communities
Learn More
Billboards Campaign
Deaf Connect uses National Week of Deaf People to showcase the Deaf community and raise awareness among the general public about sign language and the challenges the Deaf community faces. Last year, we launched a massive billboard campaign to highlight these issues, and we’re did it again this year!
We want to encourage the public to get curious about sign language and learn more about the Deaf community from their local Deaf leaders.
See Billboard LocationsHow is Deaf Connect giving back?
As part of our ongoing commitment to the Deaf community, we were proud to support several important events during the month of September.
- We sponsored the Asia-Pacific Deaf Basketball Championships in Melbourne from 21-29 September.
- We partnered with the Australian Disability Network to host a webinar featuring Chief Services Officer Brent Phillips and Chief People & Culture Officer Isabelle Swanston on 24 September.
- We were the principal sponsor of the Adelaide Deaf Festival on 21 September.
- And we also served as the Translations Sponsor for the ASLITA ANC Conference, which was on 13-15 September in Adelaide.
Through these partnerships and sponsorships, we aim to promote Deaf culture, sports, accessibility, and education across Australia.
