01/09/2026
Subject signs meeting at AUT
Last week, a group met to discuss how subject sign collections can be improved and shared.
The photo shows representatives from AUT (Student Hub / NZSL Interpreting Team and students); AUT (BA Deaf Studies / Interpreting programme); DSRU at Te Herenga Waka- Victoria University of Wellington; Ko Taku Reo – Deaf Education New Zealand; and the Deaf Aotearoa Youth Board.
Did you know that NZSL Share includes more than 800 signs for subject areas like maths, computer science, English and writing, natural sciences, and social sciences?
These sign glossaries were compiled by Ko Taku Reo – Deaf Education New Zealand together with working groups, including AUT’s NZSL interpreting team.
The AUT NZSL interpreter team also uses NZSL Share private folders to store more than 2,000 academic subject signs created by students and interpreters over more than 15 years.
We discussed: Who should be involved in creating and checking subject signs? How is agreement reached? How can individuals and organisations work together? Who should model the signs? Where should they be shared? What other information could be added to the signs for context?
This will be an ongoing discussion. Email [email protected] if you would like to be involved.
Our thanks to AUT for hosting the meeting and to the NZSL Board for funding the maintenance of NZSL Share.
