Association president Julie Allen said funding previously came from the van Asch Deaf Education Centre in Christchurch, which paid for a person, skilled in New Zealand Sign Language, to travel around Otago schools and train teacher aides and families to sign.
However, the centre ran out of money halfway through 2009 and funding for the deaf resource person in Otago came to an end.
The Ministry of Education stepped in and provided funding to continue the support until the end of 2009. Since then, the Otago Parents of Deaf Children Association has been providing the funding.
"This is just a stop[gap] measure because the need is great. But after June, we may not be able to continue funding," Ms Allen said.
"We would like the Ministry of Education to resume funding to provide access for children, families and schools who need sign language training.
"Without training, teacher aides' language development doesn't keep up with the children they are supporting. Eventually, the education of deaf children in Otago will suffer."
Ms Allen said there were about 40 children who were hearing impaired or deaf in mainstream Otago schools. About seven of those are profoundly deaf and use New Zealand Sign Language.
"Many of these children are born into hearing families with no previous experience or knowledge to draw on. The families have to learn sign language and that's why the deaf resource person is vital.
"Without this person, it's like growing up in a family where everyone speaks a foreign language."
Ministry of Education Special Education deputy secretary Nicholas Pole said the Government recognised the critical importance of supporting children who were deaf and hearing impaired so they had access to, and support in, New Zealand Sign Language.
"Van Asch and Kelston Deaf Education Centres are currently funded to provide specialist supports for deaf and hearing impaired children and young people in New Zealand.
"This funding does not specify the roles or methods to be used to provide these specialist services but leaves it to the Deaf Education Centres who have the knowledge of the students, the specialist expertise and the management of the resources."
Mr Pole said a Deaf Education Steering Group, had been established to investigate concerns about the adequacy of education provision for this group of pupils, and consider how to get better outcomes for deaf and hearing-impaired children and young people.
The group includes representatives from the Ministry of Education, the van Asch and Kelston Deaf Education Centres, the deaf community (Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand), and parents of deaf children (the New Zealand Federation for Deaf Children).
Their work was complementing the Government's Special Education Review, he said.
