Auslan Santa brings Christmas magic to hearing-impaired children in Westfields across Australia

A new kind of Santa is spreading the joy of Christmas across Australia. See how you can book and meet him. Watch the exclusive video.

Exclusive: It is a childhood rite of passage enjoyed by children the world over.

But for those who are Deaf and hard of hearing, getting a photo taken with Santa Claus can be a frightening and overwhelming experience.

So Santa has pulled a trick out of his sack and learned sign language.

Shopping centre giant Westfield will launch a trial of having Auslan-fluent Santas in three of their locations to ensure Deaf and hard of hearing children get to enjoy in the magic of Christmas

Working with Deaf Australia, all bookings will be hosted as private sessions and will have helpers and an interpreter on hand to facilitate.

Westfield has launched for the first time Auslan Santa, a pilot program offering children who use Auslan as their primary form of communication, the chance to share their Christmas wish-list directly with an Auslan-fluent Santa.

“A Deaf Santa contributes to the magic of the Christmas experience for Deaf and hard of hearing children who can communicate with them in their own language,” Deaf Australia’s chief executive officer Jen Blyth said.

“So we are delighted to work with Westfield on this experience.

“We cannot wait for our children to meet a Santa who is just like them and who can finally answer important questions about the North Pole!.”

The Callaghan children — Vera, Lucinda, Ophelia and Esmeralda — meet Santa.

For the Callaghan family, meeting Auslan Santa for the first time came as a “complete shock”.

Parents Nicole and Ivan, and their four daughters Vera, 11, Ophelia, 9, Lucinda, 7, and Esmeralda, 4, said being able to communicate “without a third person” was a welcome surprise.

“When I was young, I always relied on mum or my sister to interpret for me,” Mrs Callaghan said.

“When I saw a Deaf Santa, I felt so excited because my children didn’t have to have the same experience as me and could sign with Santa without having an interpreter or someone else to mediate the conversation.”

Westfield’s Auslan-fluent Santas to ensure hearing-impaired children get to enjoy the magic of Christmas

Ophelia said: “I felt shocked and excited that I could communicate with Santa. I walked in and I expected to just sit there and not understand while Santa spoke at me, but when he signed, I felt so happy and I chatted away with him.”

Vera, who is the only one in the family not Deaf, said it was a relief seeing her sisters being able to communicate with Santa.

“I felt relieved because my sisters didn’t have to rely on me to tell them what Santa was saying, everyone could communicate,” she said.

The trial of Auslan Santa follows the successful launch of the Sensitive Santa initiative in 2019, which gives families of kids with autism, sensory challenges, anxieties or a disability the chance to get a photo with Santa outside of the chaos of regular trading hours.

“Auslan Santa continues our commitment to make the magical Santa experience more accessible to more of our customers,” Scentre Group’s national community experience manager, Pam Wilson, said.

“We are very proud to launch this pilot initiative in selected Westfield Living Centres this year, with a view to launch it more widely in 2023 and beyond.”

Bookings are open for Auslan Santa in NSW at Westfield Parramatta on November 26, Victoria at Westfield Southland on November 27, and in Queensland at Westfield Chermside on December 2.

Originally published as Auslan Santa brings Christmas magic to hearing-impaired children in Westfields across Australia