Would you believe me if I told that over 466 million people in the world are unable to hear? These people are successfully still able to communicate with other hearing people using sign language. There are many types of sign language used in different countries such as French Sign Language or Brazilian Sign Language, but British Sign Language is the one I’ll be referring to throughout this article.
British Sign Language, abbreviated to BSL, is the sign language used in England as well as the United Kingdom and it is the first language of approximately 125,000 deaf adults and an estimated 20,000 children. However British Sign Language isn’t just a language for deaf people, it can also be a second or third language for hearing people – for every deaf person there is at least 1 hearing relative or carer using BSL at home.
There are also many communication methods amongst sign language. A deaf person or hearing person who uses BSL can communicate through various methods such as: sign language, lip-reading, fingerspelling and written as well as many others. The communication methods are a lot like what you pick up when learning any new language – with facial expressions and body language being very important in understanding what is being said.
Moreover, there are several children’s television shows on CBeebies like Something Special, which uses Makaton (sign language that focuses on signs and symbols) and/or British Sign Language to interact with the approximate 10% of all children that have long term or persistent hearing difficulties – a figure from The Communication Trust. Due to this, I believe that British Sign Language should be taught in primary schools and from younger ages such as 6 or 7, this is the age when the infant is more likely to pick skills up and remember them easily. Modern foreign languages such as French, Spanish and German are learned from KS2 which was brought in by the National Curriculum, established by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1988. But why isn’t sign language taught in schools? It’s another language after all, and I think this decision should be changed.
Keeping with the topic of sign language being taught in schools, American Sign Language or ASL is the fourth most common language used by Americans as evidenced by the NIDCD in 2000. ASL is also used in certain schools where foreign language teachers took courses in ASL and then passed these skills onto their students. Similarly, other schools brought in teachers that were already trained and proficient in ASL evidenced by the National Centre of Deafness in 1996. Even though, these studies and methods are a little outdated in comparison to 2020, they could still be a basis to go on for British primary schools nowadays.
But British Sign Language doesn’t always benefit the deaf person like assumed, learning BSL or even just a little sign language, can be such a good skill to keep you occupied during lockdown or even look good on your CV – setting you apart from other candidates when applying to jobs. Sign language is incredibly important in jobs such as interpreting, audiology and in the emergency services, as well as many others.
In the meantime, whilst debates are being held about teaching sign language in primary schools, here’s a few things you can do if you’d like to get involved either by learning British Sign Language yourself or donating to charities.
The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) or Action on Hearing Loss, which aid deaf people, partially hearing people or those with tinnitus with financially and/or emotionally with support are always looking for donations – either online or through their phone lines, with the NDCS even doing a lottery! In terms of learning British Sign Language yourself, if you want to aid a deaf person or have the unique skill, there is a lot of online help from things like the fingerspelling alphabet, YouTube videos or even watching it on Mr Tumble’s Something Special or sing along videos with nursery rhymes and learning along with your children.
In times like these, it’s important to remember that a little help goes a long way!
Article by Young Reporter Beth Downes
Originally published in Grimsby Telegraph 21st April 2020