📚 WALT: Research and understand key figures in Australian Deaf history

Instructions: Read all three articles below. Choose ONE article to research further for your assessment task. Use the comprehension questions to guide your research and writing.

Article 1: Frederick John Rose - Founding Father of Deaf Education

Frederick John Rose was a remarkable man who changed the lives of deaf children in Victoria forever. Born in England in 1844, Rose became deaf as a young child due to illness. Despite this challenge, he received an excellent education and became passionate about helping other deaf children learn.

In 1860, at just 16 years old, Rose arrived in Melbourne with his family. He was shocked to discover that there were no schools for deaf children in Victoria. Determined to make a difference, Rose worked tirelessly to establish Australia's first permanent school for the deaf.

In 1864, Rose founded what would later become the Victorian College for the Deaf in Melbourne. He started with just a handful of students in a small room, using sign language and innovative teaching methods. Rose believed that deaf children deserved the same educational opportunities as hearing children. His school grew rapidly, and by the 1870s, it had become a thriving centre of learning that attracted students from across Australia.

Article 2: Thomas Pattison - Champion of Deaf Rights

Thomas Pattison was born deaf in Scotland in 1828 and became one of Australia's most influential advocates for deaf people's rights. After arriving in Australia in the 1850s, Pattison quickly recognised that deaf Australians faced significant challenges in education, employment, and social acceptance.

Pattison was a skilled craftsman who worked as a carpenter and builder. He used his success in business to prove that deaf people could contribute meaningfully to society. More importantly, he dedicated much of his life to improving educational opportunities for deaf children and adults.

In the 1870s, Pattison worked closely with Frederick Rose at the Victorian College for the Deaf, helping to develop teaching methods that respected both sign language and deaf culture. He also established the first deaf social club in Melbourne, creating a space where deaf people could gather, share experiences, and support one another. Pattison's legacy includes not just better education, but also a stronger sense of community and pride among deaf Australians.

Article 3: The Oralist Turn - A Challenging Period for Deaf Culture

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, a major change occurred in deaf education worldwide, including in Australia. This period, known as the "Oralist Turn," saw many schools for the deaf abandon sign language in favour of teaching deaf children to speak and lip-read only.

The oralist movement believed that deaf children would be better integrated into hearing society if they could speak rather than sign. Schools began banning sign language, and teachers were instructed to focus entirely on speech training and lip-reading. Students caught using sign language were often punished.

This dramatic change had profound effects on deaf culture in Australia. Many deaf children struggled to learn through lip-reading alone, as it is extremely difficult and only about 30% of spoken English is visible on the lips. Deaf culture, which had been flourishing through sign language and community connections, began to weaken. Families were discouraged from learning sign language, creating communication barriers between deaf children and their parents. It wasn't until the 1970s and 1980s that sign language began to be recognised again as a valuable and legitimate form of communication, leading to the official recognition of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) in the 1990s.

🎯 Assessment Task Instructions

Success Criteria for your research:

Visual Support Suggestions:

• Create a timeline of important dates and events

• Draw portraits of key historical figures

• Design a poster showing before and after comparisons

• Make a mind map connecting ideas and people

• Use photographs or illustrations from the time period