This 2-hour introductory workshop is designed by Key Word Sign Australia for delivery by Accredited Presenters. It is designed as a bite-sized, practical mini-workshop for parents, teachers, allied health students and support workers. It covers the use of Key Word Sign and natural gesture for individuals who have communication difficulties. It is a fun, practical and informative workshop. No prior sign experience is necessary.
Key Word Sign is a tool or strategy which can be used to support children and adults with communication difficulties to understand and get their message across to others. Key Word Sign (KWS) adds signs to spoken words. The key words in a message are signed. KWS is not a sign language, but it borrows the signs from the sign language of the country it is used in. In Australia this is Auslan.
This workshop is proudly presented by Tania Teitzel, Director, Principal Speech Pathologist and Accredited Key Word Sign Presenter and Jacqui Sullivan, Clinical Leader Speech Pathologist, Accredited Key Word Sign Presenter. Our speech pathologists both have 30+ years of clinical experience in the speech pathology field and are proud to have dedicated their careers to the provision of services to children with disabilities.
PLEASE NOTE: This workshop only covers brief theory on key word sign and only 30 signs from the Key Word Sign Interactive Vocabulary. It is designed as an introduction to key word sign and isn’t part of the formal Key Word Sign training pathway. Participants requiring more substantial theory, up to 80-100 key word signs and sign fluency are recommended to attend our full-day workshops (e.g. Getting Started with Key Word Sign and Introductory Workshop) which are a part of the official Key Word Sign Training Pathway.
