November 2007 �

Volume � Issue 4

November 2007

On Oct. 29, Evelyn (a New Zealand interpreter and child of deaf adults) picked us up outside Char-lie B’s hostel in Christchurch, New Zealand, and gave us a coastal tour of the South Pacific ocean that led to Van Asch Education Centre in Sumner. We arrived at the school with our video camera in hand and were treated with a hearty New Zealand wel-come by all of the students and staff at a morning day assembly. There was a gloomy air in the room, with many still mourning the New Zealand All Blacks’ recent loss in the Rugby World Cup (buggers!)

After the gasp of recognizing Christy from televi-sion (yes, even people on the other side of the world saw Christy on Survivor!), we were given an oppor-tunity to explain the Discovering Deaf Worlds proj-ect and thank Van Asch for being the first school we visit on our tour. Working with our lack of flu-ency in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), we explained our intentions to meet and film Deaf peo-

ple from all walks of life, documenting their stories and international sign languages. It had only been five days since our first attempt to communicate in NZSL, so needless to say, there were many laughs

Van Asch Education Centre:

�27 years and still going strong!

What is DDW?

Dave Justice and Christy Smith are travel-ing the world to learn and share stories of empowerment, inspiration, and connection between international Deaf communities.

Discovering Deaf Worlds (DDW) is an opportunity to give deaf people worldwide a voice. For more information, photos, vid-eo logs, and newsletter stories, visit www.discoveringdeafworlds.com.

Van Asch, continued on page 2

www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

Christy with a group of van asch

students in Sumner, NZ

Thanks for your patience, as we battle the el-ements of technology and limited Internet ac-cess while backpacking around the world. If you want to see more regular updates, pictures and stories, check out our blog www.discovering-deafworlds.com/blogspot. E-mails or blog re-sponses are welcome too! We love hearing your supportive and encouraging comments on this journey.

Christy and Dave

A Personal Message

2 Discovering Deaf Worlds

Van Asch, continued from front page

Help Us Reach Our Goal!

Donate online at

www.discoveringdeafworlds.com

Artwork by Yolanda Mosher, Portland, OR, 2007

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at our expense! Van Asch assistant principal Marie O’Brien then invited us to help distribute awards to many of the students for their recent accomplish-ments before our campus tour and interviews began.

Van Asch has been filled with so much history since its establishment in 1880 by Englishman Gerrit Van Asch. It is even believed to be the first government-funded deaf school in the world, though this is not officially documented. The school has physically sur-vived earthquakes and fires, and culturally survived deaf education clashes between oral (lipreading and speaking) and signed methods of communication. Although the roots of Van Asch are deeply embed-ded in oralism, there was a shift in the 1970s to ac-commodate both communication styles.

Van Asch is now a recognized bilingual deaf school, and is proud to not discriminate against any form of communication, accepting all students: deaf,

signers, oralists, hard of hearing people, cochlear implants, and deaf-blind people (Helen Keller also once visited the school back in 1948).

Van Asch is also one of two government-funded deaf schools in New Zealand, the second being Kelston Deaf Education Centre in Auck-land, which we will visit later this month. The school now has approximately 50

students (25 pre-school/25 secondary) and 14 teachers (4 Deaf ). With a total staff of nearly 60, several itiner-ant teachers also work with mainstream deaf education programs in surrounding areas.

The school has been instrumental in creating and distributing sign language and educational resources to all of New Zealand, as well as overseas. They have also created several videos for sign language instruc-tion and entertainment such as deaf jokes, storytell-ing, and so on.

To learn more about Van Asch, visit their website at www.vanasch.school.nz.

Dave and Christy on

the Van Asch Campus

On Dec. 3, Dave and Christy will continue their journey

from Auckland, NZ, to Sydney, Australia!

November 2007 3

Hands waving to Canterbury Deaf Society for your warm welcome, patience in teaching us NZ Sign Language, and assistance in connecting with the NZ Deaf community!

Thanks to Richard & Bonnie Hughes for encouraging us to do something unpredictably extravagant!

Nadz… We “fancy” you! Although your road rage hatred for the 70 million possums in this country is bitter, your love for the country and your passengers is “sweeeet aaaas!”

Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!Shout-Outs!add your

logo or

banner to

the DDW

website!

Contact info@discoveringdeafworlds.com for more information, options, and pricing.

Did You Know...There are 12 Deaf associations of New Zealand (DANZ) chapters spread throughout the coun-try.New Zealand Sign Language was recognized by law as an official language on April 5, 2006.In the town of Christchurch, there are approxi-mately 500 Deaf people who use sign language, and only five qualified interpreters.There is one established interpreting program in the country, located in Auckland There is a bian-nual NZ Deaf film festival.NZ is the second closest country to Antarctica, next to Argentina, South America.Only three glaciers in the world feed rain forests and two are found in New Zealand, in Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier.There are 40 million sheep and 70 million possums in New Zealand, but only 4 million people.Kia Ora means “good health, “good luck,” and “hello” in the native language of the Maori people.20% of New Zealand is covered in national parks, with two-thirds of the South Island being mountainous.No known wildlife that preys on humans live in New Zealand; hypothermia is the main threat to playing in the outdoors.

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Mt. Cook, the tallest peak

at 3,755 meters in New Zealand

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4 Discovering Deaf Worlds

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Australian Sign Language Alphabet

For more information on Australian Sign Language, visit www.auslan.org.au/index.cfm?skinname=content&page=6

In each issue, DDW will print the fingerspelled alphabet of a visited country.

November 2007 5

How do you get around in New Zealand (NZ)? The country is flooded with transportation options for tourists and backpackers. You can buy a car often for less than $1,000 and sell it back after your trip. You can also rent a car top/van, take the Intercity public bus (or book $1 rides online with the Naked Bus Company – clothing optional!), or ride a train through the Arthur Pass mountains, and it’s is even safe to hitch a ride. We recommend the hop on/off bus options with Stray Travel, Kiwi Experience, or Magic Bus to meet fellow travelers and visit places off the beaten track with flexibility.

$13 for a sandwich?! NZ can be very pricey in dining options. The average soup and salad lunch will cost you at least $13NZ, dinner on average $20NZ, coffee $5NZ. Portions are more reasonably sized than the typically excessive American meal. Treat yourself to a bowl of weet-bix cereal, possum pie, or vegemite and cheese sandwich. Shopping at any local grocery store will save you heaps of money that you can later spend on a canyon swing or bungee jump instead.

International Travel Tidbits of the Month

DANZ: Making New Zealand

Accessible to the Deaf community

While traveling the South Island of New Zealand, we had the opportunity to visit two of twelve Deaf As-sociations in New Zealand (DANZ) in Christchurch and Dunedin, and intend to visit two more in the North Island. With government funding, DANZ provides services such as community education on deaf aware-ness, social events, and networking; resources includ-ing sign language classes, referrals to support groups, and addressing individuals needs, as well as assistance for equipment compensation (hearing aids, vibrating alarm clocks, visual doorbells and fire alarms), inter-preter requests, and advocacy for deaf rights and com-munication accessibility.

DANZ is on the rise and strives to make a posi-tive impact on the deaf community. Those who walk through the doors at DANZ, leave with a boost of self-confidence and pride in who they are. For example in Christchurch, employment consultants Della Buzzard and Ruth Coburn have recently advocated to find jobs for 20 deaf people in just three months time! Commu-nity Relations Officer Joyce Ferguson brings strength to the association, and is currently developing a “Wom-en Returning to Work” program.

The powerful work DANZ provides, however, comes with the restraints of limited funding and a need for more qualified interpreters. In both cities, for instance, the average ratio of interpreters to deaf people is 1 to 100 (Christchurch: 500 Deaf people, five interpreters; Dunedin: 200 Deaf people, two interpreters). And gov-ernment-regulated funding, we all know, is like pull-ing teeth to spend money. Raising the bar starts with appropriate funding. Recently hired powerhorse fund-raiser Lois Scott of Dunedin intends to do just that! New to the Deaf community and DANZ, Lois is roll-ing up her sleeves to get the funding needed to provide quality services and to get more Deaf people involved.

DANZ resembles a combination of American vo-cational rehabilitation and state associations. For more information on DANZ, visit www.deaf.co.nz.

Christy Interviews Joyce Ferguson,

DANZ Community Relations Officer.