needs. RTDs teach students and support DEANZ produced a National Plan for classroom teachers in the DECs, satellite Education of Deaf and Hearing Impaired classes or in regular schools. Children. This involved significant 102 consultation with key stakeholders including AODCs are usually qualified teachers DECs, parents of deaf children, cochlear experienced in working with deaf children. implant programme staff, NZSL experts and In most cases, the AODC is a family’s key the Ministry of Education. Principle 7 of contact person. Once the child starts school, the plan stated that “all deaf and hearing the AODC typically supports the family and impaired children will be able to access advises the school about how to access NZSL and Deaf culture from a young age”. information and services to meet the child’s It also says that “children and young people needs.103 As already noted, the AODC role is will have access to a nationally developed undergoing change and is likely to involve a Deaf Studies Curriculum”.104 Further, the greater focus on early intervention. plan identified the deaf community as a Progress in deaf education partner in the process, stating it is “a natural community of interest and is a cultural Since the 1990s significant steps have been resource in relation to deaf and hearing taken in NZ to facilitate deaf children’s impaired children”.105 access to education. As occurred with the revival of te reo Māori, the driving In 2003, DEANZ developed a “Service force for much of the change has been the Matrix” which outlined the outcomes and community. services required to implement its national plan. Further work, including a gap analysis, In 1994, a group called the Deaf identified key priorities for action. These were: Education Access Forum was formed by professionals, parents and deaf community 1 improving early linguistic development in representatives. The forum’s purpose was early intervention services to advocate for deaf students’ access to the curriculum through NZSL. In particular, it 2 raising the NZSL skill levels of personnel recommended the employment of qualified who work with deaf children NZSL interpreters in schools. In 2002, the Ministry of Education established the Deaf 3 consistent access to resources nationally Education Aotearoa NZ (DEANZ) charitable trust to address some of the issues raised 4 services to Māori and Pacific families by the Deaf Education Access Forum and to provide stakeholder advice to the Ministry on deaf education. 40 5 standardised assessment and monitoring.106