The British Deaf Association is running a campaign to encourage more people to learn British Sign Language (BSL). Next week is Learn to Sign week and Signing courses are being promoted across the UK. Knowing how to sign is a rare and useful skill to have. It’s a real plus on your CV – work places are always looking for ways to create a more disability friendly environments and knowing how to sign is an unusual skill that would put you a step above your workmates in whatever career you choose. There are also many careers that require full time sign language experts – you could even end up on television! So if you fancy a change, learning to sign could be a step towards a lucrative and socially rewarding new career.
Other’s learn British Sign language just for fun. Just like a foreign language sign language has its own grammar and syntax and is a challenging and enjoyable thing to teach yourself or learn by attending a BSL course. Learn with a friend and you can infuriate those around by talking about them in a language that most will not be able to understand. Or use your new skill to chat to each other clearly in a noisy club –you are bound to get all the guys on the dance floor flocking to you to get you to teach them how sign chat up lines and declarations of love!
There are many opportunities to take part in a level one basic course or a GNVQ in BSL, just visit the Royal Association for Deaf People for more info on courses near you. If you can’t spare the time to learn to sign but want to encourage the activity you can donate to the BSL charity, or buy a BSL umbrella and show you support in style from the official website.