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    Media Release

    TAFE NSW Albury | 22 September 2026

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    Former SES volunteer champions accessible education

    ‘The whole experience showed what Deaf people can achieve when a learning environment is genuinely accessible from the beginning, rather than accessibility being added as an afterthought.’

    Sharlene Payn, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment graduate

    An award-winning teacher from Western Sydney, Sharlene Payn, has spent years challenging assumptions about where Deaf people can work, from managing emergency callouts with the State Emergency Service (SES), to teaching Auslan.

    Now, ahead of International Day of Sign Languages on 23 September, she is taking the next step in her career after completing a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is part of the first TAFE NSW cohort for the qualification, which is made up entirely of Deaf students. For Sharlene, being part of an entirely Deaf cohort meant accessibility was built into the learning environment from the beginning.

    Sharlene stands smiling in front of a TAFE NSW branded backdrop holding two framed 2026 Gili Awards. She wears a floral-patterned dress with her arm tattoos visible.

    “I’ve been teaching Auslan in some form for most of my life and professionally for several years. I absolutely love teaching and helping people learn but I wanted to build on that experience and become a qualified trainer and assessor,” Sharlene said.

    “As a Deaf Auslan teacher, it was also important to me to continue developing my skills so I can contribute to the education and training of future Auslan students and, hopefully, create more opportunities for other Deaf people as well.”

    Her experience comes as national data highlights the role vocational education and training can play in employment outcomes for Deaf Australians. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, using data from NCVER’s 2025 VET Student Outcomes Survey, two-thirds of VET graduates who identify as hard of hearing or deaf were employed after training.

    “Accessibility wasn’t something we constantly had to think about, ask for or fight for. We could communicate naturally in Auslan, see each other clearly and participate without feeling like we were constantly trying to catch up with everyone else,” she said.

    “The whole experience showed what Deaf people can achieve when a learning environment is genuinely accessible from the beginning, rather than accessibility being added as an afterthought.”

    In 2016, Sharlene became the first profoundly Deaf volunteer recruited by the ACT State Emergency Service. She continues to volunteer with the NSW and ACT State Emergency Services, while also teaching Auslan through Deaf Connect, the Australian National University and through self-employment. She plans to continue teaching Auslan while developing her career as a trainer and assessor.

    “Long term, I’d love to continue expanding my work in training and education and help create more accessible learning opportunities for Deaf people. Completing my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment at TAFE NSW has given me another pathway to continue doing something I already love - teaching, supporting people and families and hopefully making a difference along the way.”

    Media enquiries only: Sarah James, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, 02 7920 5000.

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