Olivia Hurstfield will hold a trivia night in Karuah on May 23 with money raised going towards the cost of holding a Key Word Sign (KWS) workshop in June.

Similar to Auslan, KWS takes specially selected words that make up core concepts and ideas and turns them into physical gestures for non-verbal people to communicate with.

Mrs Hurstfield's son Levi, 7, who has Down syndrome, uses KWS to communicate.

"This trivia night at Karuah will be helping to support a KWS language workshop," Mrs Hurstfield said.

"The workshop has been booked and will include school staff from 20 local and surround schools to participate in learning basic KWS.

"This will help children who are not able to hear or speak to communicate with staff and students and create a happier environment at school."

KWS workshops were usually held just once a year in the Newcastle region and often had a waiting period.

Mrs Hurstfield has booked a private workshop, to be delivered by Hands Can Talk, and is hosting fundraising activities to cover the cost.

The trivia night will be held from 6.30pm on May 23 at Karuah RSL Club. The cost is $10 per person.

Teams of 10 can enter or individuals can be added to other tables.

Donations to the raffle were being sought to help support the night.

Contact Mrs Hurstfield to register or donate to the trivia night by emailing livhurst@gmail.com or phoning 0400 109 815.