We warmly invite families, young people, members and allies of the deaf community to Science Gallery Melbourne’s free Deaf Art Science Festival on Saturday 19 September 2026.
This event has been co-designed with members of the deaf community including students and professionals, and will be an exciting day of exploration and learning at the University of Melbourne’s Science Gallery. The program includes:
Keynote forum with deaf/hard of hearing experts in climate change and the climate crisis.
Deaf-led STEM activities for families including Makey Makey workshops and Auslan Storytime.
Introductory Auslan lesson by deaf Auslan teachers.
Showcase of deaf organisations and emergency services supporting the deaf/hard of hearing community.
Science Gallery Cafe open for coffee and lunch, staffed by deaf student baristas from Victorian College for the Deaf’s Tradeblock Cafe.
Auslan interpreters will be available and families with children are encouraged to attend. Attendees can create their own program by selecting from all available sessions to tailor the day to their interests.
Please note: This is a free event. Registration is essential via the BOOK NOW button above.
Program Schedule
11:30am Deaf-led tour of the EMERGENCE[Y] exhibition
11:30am Auslan Storytime
12pm Introduction to Auslan
12–5pm Drop in Youth STEM workshops (throughout the day)
1pm Panel Discussion on Climate Change
2:30pm Youth Climate Workshop
2:30pm Deaf-led tour of the EMERGENCE[Y] exhibition
3pm Auslan Storytime
3:30pm Deaf-led tour of the EMERGENCE[Y] exhibition
4pm Introduction to Auslan
Forum Speakers
Leyla Craig is deaf and has over ten years of experience in disaster risk reduction, contributing to local and international projects that improve disaster inclusion for deaf people. In 2025, she was awarded the Earth Scholar Programme, working with a BSL Science Team at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to link science education and disasters for deaf and hard of hearing students in the Scottish Highlands.
Leyla works in Community Risk Reduction at Fire and Rescue NSW and recently completed her PhD at the University of Sydney, where her research focused on Deaf organisations, social capital, and disaster access.
Chris Hardman AFSM is the Lead Executive Director, Forest and Fire Operations Division (FFOD), and the Chief Fire Officer, Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic). Chris is responsible for ensuring delivery of state forest management operations, and fire management operations on public land, leading the Forest and Fire Operations Division. Chris is also the lead for FFMVic’s command and control arrangements for fire and emergency response, along with fuel management operations. His division works across the department, with FFMVic partners, and with other fire and emergency management agencies to support the operational implementation. Chris’ knowledge of land management operations is complemented by his significant experience in fire and emergency management. Chris is one of Victoria’s State Response Controllers and a Level 3 Incident Controller – with experience as an Incident Controller from the 2010 floods, 2009 Black Saturday fires, and 2006 and 2003 fires. Chris was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for his distinguished service in 2024.
Peter Busch is a Deaf community leader, third-generation farmer, metal artist, and long-serving volunteer firefighter from Gippsland, Victoria. A Life Member of the Country Fire Authority (CFA), Peter will celebrate 50 years of service with the CFA in November. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated that Deaf people can make significant contributions to frontline emergency response. Peter has been a strong advocate for improving accessibility and safety in firefighting, promoting visual identification for Deaf firefighters and raising awareness of Deaf inclusion within emergency services. An active member of the Australian Deaf community, Peter uses both Auslan and spoken English and is passionate about strengthening communication, inclusion, and community resilience.
Ida Callaghan is a Deaf educator, lecturer, and Subject Coordinator of Auslan with more than 24 years of experience in adult education. Holding a Masters in Education, Ida is passionate about advancing Auslan, Deaf culture, and Deaf-led teaching practices. Her work focuses on creating engaging learning environments that centre Deaf perspectives, linguistic authenticity, and cultural understanding. Ida works with training packages, mentors emerging educators, and advocates for greater recognition of Auslan and Deaf knowledge within education and the wider community. She is committed to empowering learners, strengthening connections between Deaf and hearing communities, and fostering inclusive, respectful communication through education.
Simon Andersson is a Deaf person whose professional background is in financial risk mathematics. He has a keen interest in climate change and its impacts on the world, including costing of strategies to either reduce carbon emissions or mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as the distribution of impacts around the world. As a Deaf person, he is keen to ensure that knowledge about climate change is accessible for the Deaf community.
This event has been made possible with support of the Commonwealth Government.