James Wright Bluey Campaign began from a simple, urgent need: in Melbourne, James Wright’s two-year-old daughter, born profoundly deaf, loves the hit animated show Bluey but has not been able to share in the stories the same way as her siblings could. The father’s petition to introduce Australian Sign Language (Auslan) interpretation has now led the ABC to commit Auslan interpretation across several children’s programs on ABC iview.
How did James Wright Bluey Campaign win Auslan interpretation on ABC iview?
Wright launched a Change. org petition last year to encourage the national broadcaster to include Auslan interpretations for children’s programming. The petition gathered more than 14, 000 signatures and resulted in a meeting with ABC executives to discuss accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. The ABC has committed to releasing several of Bluey’s episodes with Auslan interpretation on ABC iview, with Auslan scheduled to be introduced on April 13, the day celebrated nationally as Auslan Day.
Wright has spoken about the personal stakes of the campaign: “We love Bluey and everything that’s on the ABC and we just really struggled with the idea that these great TV shows were only accessible to two of our three kids, and our youngest daughter had to miss out, ” he said. He framed the decision as overdue, saying, “So many generations of deaf people have come before us who have all been yelling for their human rights for a long time. It’s a long time coming. ”
What does this change mean for deaf children and families?
The move is presented as a significant expansion of accessibility in children’s media. Closed captioning and audio descriptions were already included in the broadcaster’s TV shows; adding Auslan interpretation aims to make programming accessible in a primary language used by many deaf Australians. The broadcaster’s screen director, Jennifer Collins, said, “We’re delighted to bring Auslan to our children’s programming on ABC iview, and to create a more accessible, inclusive and connected experience for all young Australians as they enjoy our much‑loved children’s content. ”
Advocates noted that subtitles alone are not always designed for preschool audiences, particularly for children who use Auslan as their first language and for whom written English can function as a second language. The introduction of Auslan interpretation is intended to offer a more natural and culturally meaningful way for deaf children to engage with stories, humour and characters, helping them participate in shared cultural experiences with their hearing peers.
The animated series Bluey, created by Ludo Studio, has become widely popular among children and families. For parents like Wright, the ABC’s commitment is not only about this single program but about closing an accessibility gap across children’s programming so more families can enjoy the same shows together.
Returning to the scene that began the campaign: Wright’s daughter, who has loved watching Bluey despite being excluded from parts of the experience, now has the prospect of watching episodes with Auslan interpretation. The James Wright Bluey Campaign has produced a tangible change on ABC iview, and for many families this shift marks both a long-sought correction and the start of further work to make children’s media truly inclusive.
