You have very good points daniel and I agree with everything thank you so much for your comment :) :) xxx
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Daniel Ward-Mclaughlan
11 years ago
Hello, I am hearing and my wife is deaf. I learned the BSL alphabet when we first met - super easy - and more recently I have completed my BSL Level 1 and soon to finish BSL Level 2. I've found learning BSL challenging and very rewarding and strongly support its inclusion in the school curriculum for the following reasons: 1) I'm not a naturally expressive person. Learning sign has taken me out of my comfort zone and raised my confidence in public speaking and performance. 2) I'm believe very much in total communication. It is no hardship to use the few signs I do know when communicating with other people, hearing and deaf. I may not always get it right - I have a long way to go before I can interpret - and not all of our deaf friends use sign, but the more channels of information we provide can only be a good thing. I find it useful for people who don't sign to start a conversation about deaf awareness. 3) Teaching sign raises deaf awareness. I think that if children learnt sign at school it would encourage them to be curious about other people and how to empathise with their experiences. For me at least, this has led to a broader interest in accessibility and has opened the door to some wonderful volunteering opportunities with people of different abilities. 4) I don't believe sign language is just restricted to the deaf community (and indeed there are some people in the deaf community who do not sign - we should not assume 'all deaf people sign'). That is *not* to say I think we should ignore sign language's roots, but I think it has potential beyond just a communication tool. Like any language it can be wonderfully artistic and expressive, and I have had first hand experience of sign-singing, sign-supported performance, and sign poetry. The energy, passion and imagery is amazing. I would definitely recommend sign-singing to children. I think the more visible sign language becomes, the more we can break down negative ideas of 'other' and 'lesser forms of c
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Rachael Wood
11 years ago
Fantastic idea, I work in a nursery and children pick these things up so quickly I think they would enjoy learning bsl!
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Rachael Wood
11 years ago
Fantastic idea, I work in a nursery and children pick these things up so quickly I think they would enjoy learning bsl!
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Rosalind smoothy
11 years ago
i have a deaf daughter i really would like to see some equality and have sign taught in schools.
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Rosalind smoothy
11 years ago
i have a deaf daughter i really would like to see some equality and have sign taught in schools.
K
Kim padgham
11 years ago
fantastic, I promote deaf awareness and am a parent of a deaf child. This will make a massive difference to deaf people.
K
Kim padgham
11 years ago
fantastic, I promote deaf awareness and am a parent of a deaf child. This will make a massive difference to deaf people.
P
Paul Kempton
11 years ago
Everyone should communicate more with each other; no one should be excluded.
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Paul Kempton
11 years ago
Everyone should communicate more with each other; no one should be excluded.
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HAZEL WRIGHT
11 years ago
I learned the signing alphabet as a teen & it has been incredibly useful & fun too. Delighted to see awareness increasing eg appearing on kids TV more & through role models like Danielle.
mint idea
Let's break the silence!
Let's break the silence!
I think this would be a very good idea!
I think this would be a very good idea!
Good luck with the petition
Good luck with the petition
Great idea... Well done
Great idea... Well done
You have very good points daniel and I agree with everything thank you so much for your comment :) :) xxx
Hello, I am hearing and my wife is deaf. I learned the BSL alphabet when we first met - super easy - and more recently I have completed my BSL Level 1 and soon to finish BSL Level 2. I've found learning BSL challenging and very rewarding and strongly support its inclusion in the school curriculum for the following reasons: 1) I'm not a naturally expressive person. Learning sign has taken me out of my comfort zone and raised my confidence in public speaking and performance. 2) I'm believe very much in total communication. It is no hardship to use the few signs I do know when communicating with other people, hearing and deaf. I may not always get it right - I have a long way to go before I can interpret - and not all of our deaf friends use sign, but the more channels of information we provide can only be a good thing. I find it useful for people who don't sign to start a conversation about deaf awareness. 3) Teaching sign raises deaf awareness. I think that if children learnt sign at school it would encourage them to be curious about other people and how to empathise with their experiences. For me at least, this has led to a broader interest in accessibility and has opened the door to some wonderful volunteering opportunities with people of different abilities. 4) I don't believe sign language is just restricted to the deaf community (and indeed there are some people in the deaf community who do not sign - we should not assume 'all deaf people sign'). That is *not* to say I think we should ignore sign language's roots, but I think it has potential beyond just a communication tool. Like any language it can be wonderfully artistic and expressive, and I have had first hand experience of sign-singing, sign-supported performance, and sign poetry. The energy, passion and imagery is amazing. I would definitely recommend sign-singing to children. I think the more visible sign language becomes, the more we can break down negative ideas of 'other' and 'lesser forms of c
Fantastic idea, I work in a nursery and children pick these things up so quickly I think they would enjoy learning bsl!
Fantastic idea, I work in a nursery and children pick these things up so quickly I think they would enjoy learning bsl!
i have a deaf daughter i really would like to see some equality and have sign taught in schools.
i have a deaf daughter i really would like to see some equality and have sign taught in schools.
fantastic, I promote deaf awareness and am a parent of a deaf child. This will make a massive difference to deaf people.
fantastic, I promote deaf awareness and am a parent of a deaf child. This will make a massive difference to deaf people.
Everyone should communicate more with each other; no one should be excluded.
Everyone should communicate more with each other; no one should be excluded.
I learned the signing alphabet as a teen & it has been incredibly useful & fun too. Delighted to see awareness increasing eg appearing on kids TV more & through role models like Danielle.