Key Details
- Categories
- Workshop
- Course Code
- CPE26BTC
- Start Date
- 13 – 14 May 2026
- Time
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Course Information
This two day in-person workshop is relevant for people who are exploring, using and assessing tactile language and communication in children and young people with deafblindness or those who benefit from using tactile sign strategies in early intervention, mainstream and specialist education settings.
It is suitable for people working in a range of roles, including specialist teachers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, learning support assistants, education support workers, teacher aides and family members. It is recommended that participants have some prior knowledge of Auslan or Key Word Signing as a foundation for moving into the tactile mode.
The workshop will include theoretical and practical strategies to support the emergence and development of tactile language.
Workshop aims
By the end of the two days, participants will be able to:
- Define bodily-tactile communication and tactile signing – including theoretical frameworks and how these support emerging tactile language users.
- Use practical strategies to support learners who communicate in a bodily-tactile way and supporting the emergence of tactile language.
- Identify principles of tactile signing and adapting sign language to the tactile mode.
- Start supporting assessment and goal setting for users of bodily-tactile communication and tactile sign language.
Presenter
-
Steve Rose
Steve Rose is a specialist speech pathologist and deafblind consultant in working with people with deafblindness, sensory loss, multiple disability and rare diseases. He is passionate about developing practice-based evidence focused on his interests in early intervention, parent-child interaction, video-based practices and tactile language.
Steve brings his experience of working with a wide range of students using touch and tactile language to enhance communication. Steve is based in Melbourne where he works in two roles. In his primary role as senior speech pathologist (Deafblind Clinical) at Vision Australia, he is leading work in the deafblind space building capacity and developing service support. In his fixed term project officer role at Deafblind Information Australia, he is focused on developing online training resources.
Steve is a national advisor (deafblindness) for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (UK) and an active collaborator in national and international committees and working groups focusing on tactile language and tactile cognition.
