New e-books to strengthen access to sign

Education Minister Hekia Parata marked New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week by launching new e-books that have been developed to improve children’s access to sign language.

Ms Parata says the six new e-books, developed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Deaf Aotearoa, are the first digital resources of their kind to be used in New Zealand schools.

“These resources are a great example of what can be achieved by government agencies and community organisations working together to generate the best outcome for students, parents and communities,” Ms Parata says.

“The aim of the e-books is to give deaf children the opportunity to read and strengthen their literacy skills, using the very same texts as their hearing peers.

“This is an important step towards making our schools more inclusive and welcoming to deaf children.”

Ms Parata says the Ministry of Education is strongly focused on ensuring children who use NZSL have the resources and support they need to participate, learn and succeed at school.

The e-books are NZSL translations of the Ministry of Education’s well-known Ready to Read series, which have been used in classrooms throughout New Zealand since the 1960s.

The Ministry plans to develop more over time.