What is British Sign Language:
British Sign Language is a rich, visual language consisting of its own grammar and structure. The language is a distinct language that reflects the culture and identity of the Deaf community. British Sign Language was officially recognised by the UK Government in 2003, after years of campaigning.
Although BSL is primarily used by deaf people, teaching it in mainstream settings benefits hearing pupils too by raising deaf awareness, strengthening communication skills, and helping to build a more inclusive society.
Stats about deafness in the UK:
According to RNID, one in three adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. In addition, there are more than 53,000 children and young people in the UK who are deaf. Most deaf children attend a mainstream school (78%) and around 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, who may be completely new to deafness (NDCS).
These figures highlight the importance of inclusive communication within school settings. Deafness is something common in society and teaching BSL helps both deaf and hearing children understand this from a young age. Offering BSL in school equips students with the skills to communicate with more people in society, a useful skill for the future.
Improve Students Communication skills:
Teaching BSL in schools is not only important for deaf students and their inclusion in the classroom, but it is also a communication skill for hearing pupils. Research carried out by Gallaudet University suggest that exposure to sign language can improve both expressive and receptive language development, in both deaf and hearing pupils.
In early years, signing alongside speech helps to reinforce meaning of a word, which supports vocabulary acquisition. Another important element of BSL is the visual side. Introducing children to facial expressions and turn taking is a skill contributing to effective communication.
A review of 70 studies by the University of Exeter enabled research to identify that skills acquired through sign language are closely linked to skills in spoken and written language. Therefore, BSL benefits both deaf and hearing students as it supports overall language and communication skills, rather than competing with them.
Expert information from Dr Hannah Anglin-Jaffe:
Research has shown that there are many benefits to learning a sign language. Firstly, academic or cognitive benefits: one benefit that is already well known is the enhanced visual and spatial abilities that many accompany learning a sign language. Studies have shown that sign language users perform more highly in mental rotation tasks (Kubicek and Quandt, 2021).
As sign language use facial expressions and body language as part of their grammar, explicitly talking about and learning these skills might help pupils to better understand their emotions and to read the emotions of others. In my opinion, learning a sign language also has the potential to increase students’ empathy for others. Overall, there are many social and academic benefits for all children learning a sign language, not just deaf children.
An Important Skill for the Future:
Learning BSL equips deaf and hearing children with important skills for the future. Building foundational knowledge from a young age, alongside an interest in the language can develop valuable communication skills that benefit a variety of professional pathways later in life, for example:
- Sign Language Interpreter: Sign Language Interpreters transfer meaning from one spoken or signed language into another signs or spoken language. Interpreters will use their skill and knowledge of the two languages, and their understanding of cultural differences between those for whom they are interpreting, to transfer a message in one language into the other language.
- Communication Support Worker: A Communication Support Worker working with adults providing support for deaf learners in further education. They interpret spoken English into British Sign Language (BSL) and adapt learning materials to the person’s needs.
- Lipspeaker: A Lipspeaker silently repeats the spoken message to the lipreader using clear lip patters. They may also use gesture and facial expressions to convey the message.
To Conclude…:
Learning British Sign Language in school, is more than just a communication skill, it is a great way to inform hearing children about the importance of deaf awareness and increase inclusivity for deaf children in the classroom. With deafness affecting millions across the UK, including thousands of children in mainstream education, there has never been a greater need to create classrooms that support and celebrate different ways of communicating.
There is a range of skills that BSL helps to deliver, from improved language development and cognitive abilities to greater emotional awareness and empathy, the benefits of learning BSL extend far beyond the classroom.