In the UK more than 40% of people over 50 years old are affected by hearing loss, increasing to over 70% of people age 70+ (source: Action On Hearing Loss). Hearing loss can lead to a reluctance to take part in social activities, to feeling left out of conversations, isolation and loneliness. You can read […]
Our first evening BSL Taster session at The Onslow Arms, Clandon, was a great success! Thank you everyone who came. Over a drink, Kathleen explained a little about Deaf culture and tips to communicate with D/deaf people. She also taught Fingerspelling and some useful phrases for meeting and greeting. We will definitely have another taster […]
If you haven’t listened to this yet, it is definitely worth half an hour of your time! Stephen Fry examines the linguistics, history and culture of British Sign Language. The programme includes interviews with Professor Bencie Woll and Dr Kate Rowley from UCL, and Dr Adam Schembri from The University of Birmingham. (Dot Sign Language […]
Good news, we’re being asked to help more organisations communicate better with Deaf people. I’m Deaf and it does make a huge difference when someone can sign – even if it’s just a few basic gestures. We’ve helped Heathrow, Lloyds of London, NHS, Willmott Dixon and SpecSavers to name just a few recently. I’ve added a […]
We were extremely keen to be part of Youth First’s workshop week. Youth First is an organisation in Lewisham which is owned and run by its youth workers and young people. They help young people have fun, socialise, take risks, discover their own identities and acquire the life skills and self-confidence needed to lead happy […]
New Slapstick are a small theatre company based in Oxfordshire which will be be touring around England in the coming months with their silent comedy show, The Immigrant. This production is completely accessible for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. The show is visual theatre with no dialogue, and so d/Deaf audiences can enjoy it […]
Incredible News from Chloe’s and Sophie’s Special Ears Fund (CSSEF)… From CSSEF: “We are delighted to share that we have funding available for 10 teachers to learn British Sign Language Level 1, including with Dot Sign Language starting from September 2019. “We want teachers who want to make a difference to deaf children in their education. Teachers […]
Thousands of Deaf people use British Sign Language, just like 12-year-old Daniel Jillings. He has been campaigning for the British Sign Language to be on the curriculum as a GCSE and has taken his fight to Parliament. A GCSE in BSL could be introduced in this parliament after the government backed down on a decision […]
This is a question that I’m often asked. The answer is no. I was born Deaf and grew up signing, as do many Deaf people in families with Deaf relatives. We know around 95% of deaf babies are born to hearing parents, some of these parents may choose to learn British Sign Language (BSL) with […]
Have you been to Hampton Court recently? I highly recommend going if you haven’t been there for a while – I took my relatives there recently. If you are around on Saturday October 12th there will be tours in British Sign Language (BSL). The tour will be given by a Deaf BSL-using guide John Wilson […]
