General Chat

Yep That what i am about to learn, most of mine was finger sign, that and a few other hand signs, and still am so is my son, but then my girl (13) has totay blown all i know out of the water. Tho she is a sweet girl and knows my finger sign i may need help lol, so dont run away easter week please. coz the two of em may take the you know what lol Steve

Since we have moved into telling our stories of sign, I thought I would add mine: I started signing properly when I was about 11. I was part of a Youth Group that focused on First Aid (Red Cross Youth) and a lady that ran a youth group for children with hearing difficulties and their siblings contacted us. This lady asked if we would be able to help here as some of the children in the group wanted to learn First Aid but they did not feel able to come to our group because of the language barrier. I know some arrangement was reached which resulted in this lady coming to our group to teach us BSL. This lady was a wonderful teacher and we soon learnt more than we could have imagined, we started with numbers and the alphabet and soon progressed to all sorts of things. As Christmas approached, we decided to invite the children of this lady's youth group to a Christmas party. This Lady spent weeks teaching us 'we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year' and 'Old MacDonald had a farm', we had fun learning and we ended up gaining 2 new members because of it. One of these new members was a young death girl that lip read and could speak a little and the other was a girl from my school whose brother was death (he was born without ears and had to wear heavy boxy hearing aids at the time). Unfortunately, many of the younger children lost interest and started to stay away from the group or played up during the sign session that the Lady that taught us left. Move on 5 years to 6th form, and another lady contacted my school asking if any of us would be interested in doing sigh and offered to come in during our lunch hour, as she needed to do more hours of teaching practice to be able to complete a course allowing her to teach sign. Our Group began with about 25 girls but quickly dwindled to around 12 of us going regularly. Eventually, we shrank again to 8 and we were told that if anyone else dropped out the group would have to close as it was unworkable, we did lose more people and the group closed. I still have all my notes from this and used to practice with my friend but she would tell me off for being too quick for her and constantly signing basic things. Progressing another 2 or 3 years and I had a summer job at a play scheme ran jointly by our local council and MENCAP. During my time at the play scheme, we looked after a boy that communicated in BSL and his brother who spook makaton (both deaf). The boy that used BSL we allocated to my on 2 occasions, and I found that he responded the same if you signed as he would if you spook to him, however I still did both as I thought it would give him the choice – I never saw either boy sign, although both made themselves clearly understood. I've noticed changes in sign over the years too, when I was 11 we were taught that the sign for people was 'man woman' but later it became a vertical squiggle. Strange as it seems to most people, I list sign amounst languages I speek making a note that I am far from fluent and have only a basic understanding.

They use a lot of slang which we were never taught and finger spelling may be cut short but the signs won't have changed that much - although saying that some are drastic.... to me SORRY is your knuckles across the side of your head but now its knuckles rotating on your chest!! Very strange to me but hey at least its a REAL LANGUAGE now!! xx

Sweetie i may need help easter week i think they are useing short cut sign as a peeeeeee take to us older gen lol, if you get a panick pm help please. But do you think the deaf kids are now making short cut sign just like using a mobile phone text message, or am i just old??? Steve

Oh trust me steve I still get it wrong hence doing the BSL course now!! Daddy used to laugh at the new signs!! xx

Diana lol at pc but you have a bit of an advantage over me its years since i did sign but now the daughter tries to practice on on me and hands up she does things with a word that i would have to spelt out, but is this a young persons slang ehhhh its like mobile txt abbreviations for the deaf, is this a young persons thing coz i am lost, example ' good morning' bears no resemblance to what i know, but during easter she is coming for a girly sleep over so that will be fun as kerry has told her i showed her how to sign. Getting ready for a panic attack lol. Oh my pals dad was a bit of a celeb he was the (at the time the only deaf and dumb pro wrestler in the uk) late 60s early 70s Steve

I love this!! So many children who in future will be able to get by with deaf people!! Its fantastic!! Jay - i have faxed the place we looked at and finger's crossed!! x

Diana Twins are learning the basics. Their TA is deaf in one ear and is doing a signing course, she in turn is passing it on to the kids. She says the really enjoy learning it, and i know my boys come home keen to tell me what words they have learnt!!!

At my gchildrens old school all the children learned sign from nursery up then there school was amalgmated with another one the new school stop doing it Val

Steve that is so so lovely!! I always get asked if i am deaf as I understand sign so well (to me it was you lot with hearing parents that had strange lives) so I understand what you are saying when you can make someone's day with a simple!! Deaf people can be rude but only because their education was sh** usually only being taught to speak and spell, so please don't judge the older generation if they are!! And I know what you mean about out of date sign..... I learnt from birth and 40 years later i am no longer PC with my sign!! :O) See its not just English that has to change to become PC!! xx

Hi Diana just a small thing about teaching children who can hear to learn sign. When i was at school many years ago a pal's parent's were deaf and dumb (he was not) i used to go round all the time to his house, and his family were great, but Keith had to translate to me what was said and vice a versa, so his dad told him to teach me basic sign, i did learn enough to chat to them and that was great.<<< move on a lot of years>>> so when my kids were small i taught them it (told them it was spy language lol) and they used it to annoy there mum ect. but long story as short as as i can. Between xmas and new year gone, 16yrd son and I pulled up outside a large electrical retailer and parked next to the disbled parking as we got out of the car i noticed an oldish lady trying to ger a large box into a small car while her husband sat in the car, so isaid to the boy 'son give that woman a hand while i get out stuff out the boot' son wanders over taps said woman on the shoulder, now remember he is 16 and has long black hair dressed in black and a goth, woman looks round son says can i help you put the box in the car woman nods, son has a bit of a chew on gets box in car, shuts door, by this time the woman is back in car with hubby, son comes back mutters stuff about manners closes boot for me, but as we walk past their car the window comes down and the woman passes son a note she smiles hubby smiles and nods, son opens note writen inside was a thank you 'my husband and i are deaf and he uses a wheelchair so thank you for your kind help plus a fiver son then turns round and signs thank you to the woman, her face was a picture the smile was so big i had a lump, mind typical teenager once insde he said dad for once being polite does pay, he missed the point lol but he made that couples day. Then when my daughter went back to school after this half tearm a new girl had arrived, in her tutor group, she is deaf, but can lip read very well said girl was introduced to the class so she could see them say hello, she signed back hello, Daughter stood up and signed 'hello my name is Kerry' the poor girl cried, both now have a new best pal, and she is teaching my daughter modern sign, coz mine is over 30yrs old lol so Diana it should be taught in schools i think, sorry this is long but i wanted to tell you it. Stay safe hun Steve

Merry - that's fabulous!! Viv and Dawnie - yeah me gonna go as far as I can.... still have deaf rellies (aunt and uncle) plus loads of deaf friends (daddy's lot) and i can't just disappear from their lives now!! xx

Pink, Go get that level 1 gal and then the level 2 and be a damn good translator for your dad !!! I had a six week basic BSL course when at college and have learnt a little Makaton, Sign-a-Long and Cued Articulation whilst working with speach and lanuage and special needs children. I don't think I'd have the stamina to do the full course these days. Thinking of you Love Viv xxx

Diana Don't give up on it I have it never in a million years did I think I would pass. Did start level 2 but moved half way through course so didn't finish it. We should have a meet and use sign language but then apparently the amount that is drunk at these meets think it is only sign language that is understood. Keep going with it.

Sandra - that's almost the same as BSL - Makaton is a form of BSL!! I have put a link up which has a site to learn it online and its very good especially if learning with young children!! :O)

My little girl has just turned 5 and is in Reception class at school. They have a boy in the class who is not deaf, but cannot speak....so all the children have been learning a few basic words so they can communicate with him (though he cannot sign back he can understand them!)...............They are all doing really well.....now she is teaching me a few words! Merry

I personally think the basic's should be taught to children and I'm pleased to say that some parents are using it with babies as a communication method..... I love seeing a child doing sign..... even better when that child is hearing!! xx

My diL passed BSL1 about 5 years ago but decided not to go on to BSL2. She did it for interest. Diana, it is a lovely idea to go on with the course as a tribute to your Father. Ann Glos

We could do it for National Deaf Children's Society but I think that's too personal to me!! Maybe the next trek we'll let someone else from the boards decide the charity!! xx

Me thinks being able to sign is fantastic! Wish I could!!! Perhaps our next trek could be in aid of BSL!?! Gems xxx