COVID-19 Resources

During this unsettling time, it is really important to keep informed to reduce stress and worry.

We’ve created a video and accompanying poster/handout in the hope that it can be used to inform, and talk about the pandemic with people who use Key Word Sign to communicate, so they too can be kept in the loop.

COVID-19 POSTERDownload

COVID-19 HANDOUT RESOURCEDownload

**Note about the signs in this handout**: at the time of filming the video and making the handout for it, we could not find an Auslan sign for “Coronavirus” and only saw it as a finger spelt word. A new sign is now appearing in some Auslan resources (shown above). It is important to remember that Key Word Sign is generally used with people who can hear but have difficulty with spoken communication, while Auslan is the language of the Deaf community. For the purposes of our Coronavirus resources, we created a new gesture which is a combination of the letter “C” + “sick”. We also used a combination of “people” + “work” to mean “staff”.
We acknowledge the Deaf community for the use of Auslan signs.

It’s a difficult time for those of us still in lockdown, who need to wear masks to go outside the house. We’re thinking of the people who need their support workers and visitors to their home to wear a mask. It’s so different, and possibly frightening for some people. KWS can help people understand why things have changed, and what we need to do to keep everyone safe. We’ve made a resource that can help you have a conversation about this. Using key word sign can help people better understand what is being said, and therefore be less anxious about the changes around them.