Marianne Collins-Ahlgren

The first meeting of the Friends of the Deaf follows a year's work by a steering committee which has laid the groundwork for the future. The meeting will be addressed by Marianne Ahlgren.

People who can hear as well as see 'Reasonable Doubts' (TV3, 9.50pm Saturdays) might be surprised to learn that Deaf New Zealanders can understand deaf lawyer Tessa Kaufman’s sign language little better than they can. ASL, used by Deaf actor Marlee Matlin, is a foreign language here. My Deaf friends give it the thumbs up. But the failure of television in New Zealand to provide anything in NZSL is described as “a running sore” by Hilary McCormack.

Research on the complex sign language that deaf New Zealanders have created could push education authorities to recognise the language's authenticity. It has taken an American linguist to document the distinctive language.

Deaf people have evolved a sophisticated language which is little understood by hearing people and is officially ignored, according to American linguist Marianne Collins-Ahlgren.

An advertisement for the inaugural general meeting of the Friends of the Deaf (Wellington Region). The guest speaker will be Marianne Ahlgren, speaking on NZ Sign Language.