National Week of Deaf People 2025 is celebrated from 22 to 28 September and is a time when we acknowledge the Australian Deaf community and celebrate their unique history, culture and language, Australian Sign Language (Auslan).
Auslan is one of more than 300 different sign languages in use around the world.
Read more about the history of Auslan
National Week of Deaf People is also a time when Deaf people around Australia promote their local Deaf communities and highlight the importance of recognising the use of Auslan as a linguistic human right of Australian Deaf people.
International Week of Deaf People is also celebrated during the week of 22-28 September, with 23 September designated as International Day of Sign Languages, celebrating the linguistic and cultural identity of Deaf people and sign language users around the world.
The theme for International Week of Deaf People in 2025 is 'No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights'.
In Victoria, the Department of Education supports the learning of Auslan in early childhood and school settings. Auslan is one of the most popular languages studied in schools' languages programs and is taught in more than 330 government schools.
Many government early childhood programs also offer opportunities for preschool children to learn Auslan for up to three hours per week as part of their regular preschool program. Early childhood teachers fluent in Auslan deliver the program in collaboration with the regular preschool teachers.
Read more about the Department of Education's Early Childhood Language Program
