According to the British Deaf Association British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred language of more than 87,000 deaf people in the UK. Prior to the Christmas holidays our youth voice had reported that there was a desire amongst peers to learn the basics of BSL to increase the young people’s awareness of diversity and the effects of such impairment.

We teamed-up with Sign Core, a local BSL Training Centre, whose staff came along to our Grange Park Youth Centre to deliver a short series of successive sessions around Deaf Awareness and BSL. The young people learnt that BSL is a fully functional and expressive language with visual-gestures and distinct grammar using hand shapes, facial expressions, gestures and body language to convey meaning.

This learning fits neatly into our curriculum around equality and diversity, but also the development of additional skills in areas such as communication and literacy. Amongst the group were several of the participants from our Young Leaders’ Academy – a skill that will undoubtedly serve them well as they progress in their respective careers.