Westfield Chermside and selected Westfield Living centres will soon be visited by Auslan Santa, as part of a pilot program to bring Christmas cheer to deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Following the success of the 2019-launched Westfield’s Sensitive Santa – a program for children with sensory processing challenges – Westfield announced the launch of Auslan Santa. The sessions, conducted in Australian Sign Language (Auslan) will be longer and will have helpers and an interpreter on hand to facilitate the activities.
Sensitive Santa started as a trial concept made available for those with sensory challenges, anxiety, disabilities, or families who simply require more time. It was initially trialled in one Westfield centre in 2017 before being rolled out to all 42 centres in 2019 across Australia and New Zealand.
“Auslan Santa continues our commitment to make the magical Santa experience more accessible to more of our customers. 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.”
Scentre Group National Community Experience Manager, Pam Wilson
The new Auslan Santa program is developed in collaboration with Deaf Australia and will offer the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community the opportunity to visit select Westfield Living Centres in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, including Westfield Chermside, to enjoy their own dedicated Auslan Santa session.
Deaf Australia is a peak Deaf-led organisation representing Deaf, Deafblind and hard-of-hearing people in Australia who use Auslan (aka Australian Sign Language) as their primary form of communication. In addition to supporting the development of Auslan Santa at Westfield, Deaf Australia and event service providers, Scene to Believe, have also been working to educate and train all Westfield Santas to better interact with Deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Bookings are open for Auslan Santa in Queensland at Westfield Chermside on Friday 02 December 2022. Westfield Parramatta in New South Wales and Westfield Southland in Victoria will hold their separate Auslan Santa sessions.
New South Wales
Westfield Parramatta
Date: Saturday 26 November
Time: 3pm – 6pm
Victoria
Westfield Southland
Date: Sunday 27 November
Time: 3pm – 6pm
Queensland
Westfield Chermside
Date: Friday 02 December
Time: 3pm – 6pm
Santa Photography Key Dates:
Bookings open to Westfield Plus members: 12 October 2022
Santa’s arrival in Westfield Centres: From 12 November 2022
Photography dates: From 12 November (may vary by centre) until 24 December 2022
Customers can find out more and book sessions by visiting the Westfield website.
Westfield Chermside | Gympie Rd, Chermside QLD 4032, Australia
