DVD for Deaf community

Family Planning has a range of resources and pamphlets in different languages but has recently broken new ground with the development of a resource for the Deaf community – a DVD in New Zealand Sign Language.

Director Health Promotion Frances Bird says it is important to have appropriate material for people in the languages they use – New Zealand Sign Language is the third official language of New Zealand and the lack of resources for this community, particularly Deaf young people, was an identified gap in our resources. And, there is also a broader health promotion effect from people seeing and using material that’s in their own language.

Family Planning commissioned production of the DVD by Brent Macpherson, an award-winning Deaf director and producer with Cambridge-based Stretch Productions.

Family Planning compiled the content, much of which was sourced from resources such as The Man’s Manual and This Is Not Love, This Is Control. Ms Bird says the key messages she wanted included in the resource were about having respect within a relationship and about sexual safety. In particular:

• Promoting positive sexual decision-making by Deaf young men and women.
• Promoting awareness of healthy relationships and what constitutes unhealthy or violent behaviour in intimate relationships.
• Promoting access to services and the use of contraception and condoms to protect against unintended pregnancy and STIs.

Family Planning would like to acknowledge the support of the Deaf Development Fund in making this much needed resource available. Their grant of $10,000 covered a large proportion of the production costs for the DVD and we’d like to thank them wholeheartedly for their valuable contribution to the health and well being of young people within the Deaf community.

The DVD can be watched online at www.theword.org.nz – Family Planning’s youth website.

Details of other Family Planning pamphlets and resources can be found at http://www.familyplanning.org.nz/ResourceShop.aspx

ENDS

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