Diana Ashley

Diana ‘Di’ Ashley was born deaf to a well-known deaf couple, Benjamin Taylor and Beryl Taylor (nee Goswell) and has one deaf sister, Jane. 

As an active participant in Deaf Sports, Diana has played Squash, Ten Pin Bowling, and Netball. She devoted much of her time to the NSW Deaf Netball Association (now Deaf Netball NSW) as a player, committee member, and President. During the time she was a player for Deaf Netball, Diana represented NSW at the Australian Deaf Games on five occasions. She also represented Australia in New Zealand, and against the visiting England team in 1988.  She is now a Life Member of Deaf Netball NSW.

From 1980 to 1983 Diana played an important part in a TV revolution that provided access to news in Auslan for the Deaf Community. As the first Deaf interpreter, Diana sat alongside the Channel 0 (now SBS) newsreader and translated the 6.27pm news into Auslan for deaf viewers.  Her entry into this role was provided by the then Deaf Society Welfare Officer, Peter Cipollone, at the suggestion of Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser.

Diana’s professional career and volunteer activities have been largely within the Deaf sector. She was a long-time volunteer in the Deaf Community during the Stanmore Deaf Centre days. Her professional career began at Deafness Resources Australia where she worked for 17 years. She now works as an administrative officer at the Deaf Society of NSW.

Diana is married to James Ashley with whom she has two children, Michelle and Paul.

Sources

Personal information from Diana Ashley

The Australian Women’s Weekly 30 September 1981

Images

Image – Diana Ashley

V1  BJ 13.05.2013