A New Era in the Right to Sign The NZFDC advocates for deaf and hearing reaching implications not only for a child impaired children and their families. It but also for a family. Restricted or delayed provides information kits to families, language acquisition adversely affects newsletters, tutor fee assistance, an communication, parent-child attachment, assistive equipment subsidy, and annual socio-emotional health, literacy and scholarships for tertiary students. It also educational and career possibilities.75 It is organises social events.74 crucial therefore that the early intervention 73 model enables effective language learning 2.3.2 What is needed in the family and at home, so that this is not delayed until entry to school.76 Early intervention services The Government’s focus on newborn Families’ decisions about the screening, early intervention and enabling communication modality for their deaf families to make informed choices is child occur within a context that is skewed positive and accords with New Zealand’s towards medical rather than linguistic international human rights obligations. responses to deafness. For example, the However, the Commission is concerned family may follow a medical approach and that too little is being done too late to an oral-aural mode of communication. facilitate children’s and families’ access This is resourced through access to hearing to NZSL in these crucial early years. Even aids and cochlear implants. In contrast, when impartial information is provided families who want or need to use NZSL to about language options, and referrals communicate with their child are largely made to NZSL tutors, there are insufficient left to develop NZSL skills on their own.77 resources available to support families who want NZSL to be their child’s foundational Current support for NZSL in the early years language. mainly involves providing sign language resources such as information booklets78 Most deaf children are born into hearing and an introductory NZSL DVD.79 Support families who do not have prior experience may include referral to an AODC whose of childhood deafness. The communication role and skill base is not directed at needs of the entire family are therefore teaching NZSL other than to a basic level.80 altered by the diagnosis of a deaf child. With respect to NZSL, a challenge for A family might be encouraged to learn early intervention services is to support sign language through adult community families, not just the deaf children, to education classes. However, these are learn sign language skills. If this does not typically night classes which can be occur at an early stage there can be far- an impractical time for parents and/ 35