TEXT: Every three years, the global Deaf community comes together to share and celebrate the study of Deaf history.
TODD WRIGHT: Hi. I’m Todd Wright, President of Deaf Australia I helped to organise this DHI 2018 conference with the theme “Colonisation in Deaf History”. I don’t have a background in researching deaf history myself, but I was very happy to help support the Deaf community by organising this special event, being held for the first time in the southern hemisphere. My experience over the past three days, with today being the last day of the conference, has been very eye-opening. There have been papers presented on a range of topics, and they made me realise that we can learn a lot from history. So I’m pleased that Deaf Australia had the opportunity to host this conference. We were helped greatly by sponsors and volunteers and the organising committee. It was certainly a lot of hard work, but looking back on it now, I can definitely say it was worth it. The feedback I’ve received has been very positive, so I’m really pleased to have been involved.
CHARLENE GRACE: Hello, my name is Charlene Grace from Australia. I’d like to say something about the Deaf History International Conference. I think it has been wonderful, so worthwhile and very interesting to learn about other countries from around the world. I’ve been able to sit and observe their different languages and they are very emotional about wanting to preserve their own language and resist influence from other languages. That is what this Deaf History conference is for. It’s interesting that some countries think that they can take over another country, but the people who live in those countries want to protect their language. Like Auslan is my language – and I wouldn't want America to interfere with it. It’s my language, the language of Australia. I feel the same as people from other countries feel about their language. Thank you, Thank you, for everything. I’ve had a wonderful time. Today is the last day. Thank you!
