James Wright Bluey Campaign Leads ABC to Add Auslan Episodes to Bluey
The James Wright Bluey Campaign has secured a major accessibility change: the ABC will release several episodes of the children’s series with Auslan interpretation on ABC iview, beginning on April 13 to coincide with Auslan Day.
James Wright Bluey Campaign: How It Won Auslan Access
Melbourne father James Wright launched an online petition last year after his two-year-old daughter, who was born profoundly deaf, could not fully share in the show with her siblings. The petition gathered more than 14, 000 signatures and led to a meeting with ABC executives to discuss improved access for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Wright has said subtitles are not designed for preschool audiences and that Auslan is often a child’s first language and different from written English, making sign-language interpretation more meaningful for many young viewers. He described the campaign’s outcome as deeply meaningful for families with deaf members and called the change “a long time coming. “
ABC Commits Auslan on ABC iview
The broadcaster has committed to adding Auslan interpretation across several children’s programmes on ABC iview. Closed captioning and audio descriptions were already available on ABC shows; the new step brings signed interpretation onto children’s content starting April 13.
ABC Director Screen Jennifer Collins said the move aims to create “a more accessible, inclusive and connected experience for all young Australians as they enjoy our much‑loved children’s content. ” The decision follows the petition, the subsequent meeting, and the recognition of a significant accessibility gap in children’s programming.
Why This Matters For Deaf Children And Families
For many deaf children who use Auslan, spoken dialogue and audio cues can make it difficult to fully follow programmes even when subtitles are available. Auslan relies on hand movements, facial expression and body language rather than written words, and for children who grow up using Auslan it can be their primary language.
Introducing Auslan interpretation to a popular series allows deaf and hard-of-hearing children to experience stories, humour and characters in a way that reflects their language and culture, enabling more inclusive shared viewing with hearing family members.
Creators and distributors of the series have previously made the show widely available and the addition of Auslan builds on existing accessibility tools to broaden who can access and enjoy the content.
Mr Wright welcomed the announcement as a meaningful victory for families like his and said there is still more work to be done to improve accessibility across children’s media. The rollout on ABC iview beginning April 13 marks the next confirmed step in that effort.
