Students in all year levels at Lara Primary School participate in a dedicated 60-minute Auslan lesson each week as part of the Specialist program.  

Auslan is Australian Sign Language, the native language of the Australian Deaf Community, and is a visual-spatial, natural language with its own grammar and vocabulary. It has linguistic elements such as hand shapes (including orientation, location, and movement), non-manual features (including eye gaze, facial expressions, arm, head, and body postures), and fingerspelling. Auslan also has its own grammar, which is different from English. 

Students explore topics such as Deaf Culture, Fingerspelling, Feelings, Greetings, Questions, Colours, Introducing Yourself, Days of the Week and Months of the Year, Counting and Weather.  

Lessons involve explicit teaching through teacher demonstrations, with student learning supported by activities, games, stories, songs, videos, and group practice.  

Through learning Auslan, students build an understanding and appreciation of the Australian Deaf Community, fostering respect, inclusion, and connection. This learning empowers students to become respectful allies, helping to create a more inclusive and accessible wider community.