Hands up if you also think that sign language should be taught at GCSE!
If children are taught one or more language during secondary education, then why is British Sign Language excluded?
According to the statistics, British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred language of over 120,000 Deaf adults and about 20,000 children in the UK for whom English may be a second or third language.
And despite the fact that BSL usage is growing, only a very small percentage of police officers, doctors, nurses, etc... have even a basic understanding of the language and an ability to use it at a conversational level.
For deaf people living in Britain, the world can be an incredibly lonely place, and this gap could be bridged by simply introducing BSL into the National Curriculum.
That is why the British Deaf Association are working with National Deaf Children's Society, Signature and the British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People to support the launch of a GCSE qualification in British Sign Language.
This is where you come in! They need to know how much interest there is in BSL at GCSE level; how many students would like to study it, and which schools would like to offer it.
So, whether you are deaf or hearing, a parent, a young person, or a teacher, present or past, please show your support for a BSL GCSE by completing the short survey below:
At the end of the survey there is an option to answer the survey using BSL.
Teaching hearing peers to learn British Sign Language (BSL) is a chance to:
👉 break down barriers
👉 promote better awareness of, and sensitivity to the deaf and hard of hearing community
👉 develop a strong appreciation for deaf culture
👉 improve communication through learning about their facial expression, body language and movement.
This is a fundamental HUMAN RIGHT.
Please help us share this as widely as possible💜
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