Family loses bid to have interpreter in classroom

From: ABC Online - Australia - May 31, 2005

A Sunshine Coast family is moving to Western Australia after losing their bid to have an interpreter allowed in class with their seven-year-old deaf daughter.

Gail Smith says she took Education Queensland to court when it prevented her from acting as an interpreter in her daughter's class at the Coolum State School, but she has lost the case.

She says her daughter will be treated better in Western Australia.

"They said that she would be entitled to a full-time Auslan, which is an Australian sign-language interpreter," Ms Smith said.

"Also a teacher of the deaf four days a week and speech therapy three times a week for half an hour.

"And in Queensland all we wanted was access to an interpreter full-time."

© 2005 ABC