A Phillip Island based paramedic was one of the driving forces behind the introduction of Auslan training for Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics.

AV said its team will be better equipped to provide high quality care to Deaf and hard of hearing patients, with the introduction of basic Auslan and Deaf awareness training.

AV has rolled out the training to all staff and volunteers as part of a joint partnership between AV and Awesome Auslan.

In 2021, Cowes paramedic Jenna Kelley received an Ambulance Victoria Community Engagement Award, for her work to introduce Auslan to the service.

"I thought it would be beneficial to have that skill as a paramedic," Jenna told the Advertiser when she received the award.

"It's all about advocating for patients and making sure we give them the best possible care in their time of need, when they're stressed and frightened."

Jenna first encountered Auslan when she was studying to become a paramedic at the Australian Catholic University in Fitzroy.

"The university ran an introductory Auslan course and I went along and loved it," Jenna said.

Once she graduated, Jenna worked with Ambulance Victoria to establish AV Healthy Signs, introducing Auslan to paramedics.

When she won her Community Engagement Award, Jenna said she hoped one day Auslan would be an intrinsic part of paramedic training.

"It's so important for the deaf community that they can be heard and understood and communicated with."

It looks like Jenna's dream has become a reality.

AV Disability Inclusion Program Lead, Amber Smith said the training provides knowledge and skills to the workforce to help remove communication barriers experienced by the Deaf and hard of hearing community in a health emergency.

"Building Deaf awareness will also help us to create a safe, fair and inclusive workplace for AV's Deaf and hard of hearing workforce and improve how we engage in an accessible way with the community," she said. 

Jenna said learning a few signs can assist in an emergency.

"Situations where you need help from a paramedic can be extremely stressful," she said.

"Patients are central to every decision made about their care and to do that we need to remove as many communication barriers as possible."

One in six Australians experience varying degrees of complete and partial hearing loss, which is predicted to increase to one in four by 2050.

AV is providing staff with a free self-paced online Auslan and Deaf awareness course. Participating staff will wear a "Learning Auslan" badge to identify their training and capability to the community.

Ambulance Victoria is committed to removing communication barriers to create an accessible and inclusive emergency health care service for all Victorians.

An AV spokesperson said it continues to work with other partners such as Scope, Amaze and Expressions Australia to find ways to implement new initiatives to meet people's communication preferences.

To learn more, visit awesomeauslan.com.au.