ABC's Play School has just made Auslan history

Dear supporters,

This week marks a huge milestone for accessible kids’ TV in Australia.

A brand-new series of Play School has just launched with Auslan throughout — the first in the program’s 60-year history.

For generations, Play School has been part of a shared Australian childhood. Now, Deaf kids who use Auslan can experience this new series from day one, alongside their hearing siblings, classmates and friends. 

That alone is historic. But the way Play School's Sensational Senses was made takes the breakthrough even further!

Auslan was not an afterthought. It was part of the creative vision for the series and Auslan is joyfully embedded in what every child sees on screen.

This is not merely an accessible version of Play School.

It is Play School, made accessibly.

The series was directed by Deaf filmmaker and former Play School presenter Sofya Gollan, who became the first Deaf person to appear on the program in 1992. Play School has also welcomed Vanessa Alford as its newest Deaf presenter. More than three decades after Sofya first appeared, Deaf people are now shaping the program behind the camera and appearing on screen.

This is real change.

Our campaign has helped reshape the landscape of accessible children’s television. As we continue to push for more programs, more episodes and a clear commitment to Auslan access, we are delighted to see the ABC stepping up to the plate — not only making existing programs accessible, but building access into new mainstream children’s programming from the outset.

We are also encouraged by the Communications Minister’s plans to legislate for mandatory audio description and increased captioning across television and broadcasting video-on-demand services such as ABC iView. This signals a welcome shift from voluntary goodwill towards accountable accessibility requirements, while highlighting the continuing absence of equivalent requirements for Auslan.

Sensational Senses proves access-first TV production is possible. Our next task is to make it standard practice across Australian children’s media — not an exceptional achievement we celebrate once every 60 years.

Language access matters. Representation matters. And this week, Deaf children became part of Play School’s story from the beginning. 

Thank you for helping make change like this possible.

Onward,
James