Deaf Awareness Week
Deaf Awareness Week is run on an annual basis by the UK Council on Deafness, it will be taking place between 2nd – 8th May 2022.The theme for Deaf awareness week 2022 is Deaf Inclusion, to explore the entire theme of inclusion within our community.
The aim of the campaign is to highlight the impact of hearing loss on everyday life and increase visibility and inclusion of Deaf people. Emphasising the importance of mental health, and empathising with underrepresented groups amongst Deaf such as migrants, BMIs, and women, as well as raise pertinent issues of deafness being overlooked in education, health settings and the workplace.
Get Involved
Get involved with Deaf Awareness Week use the following hashtags on social media: #DAW2022 and #lnclusionDeafness and #MyDeafStory
My Deaf Story
Throughout Deaf Awareness Week we will be sharing different people’s deaf stories, their experiences and how they communicate.
Deaf Awareness Resources
Deaf Awareness Facts
FAQs about British Sign Language
Terms used to describe deafness
Hard of hearing – people who have some level of hearing loss, are often described as hard of hearing. They may experience some difficulty in hearing speech and may no longer hear people whispering.
deafened – People who have lost their hearing are often described as deafened. This could be because of an accident, operation, or infection. They are likely to have learned to speak, read, and write before they lost their hearing.
Deaf – people who are born without hearing or lose their hearing as an infant are often described as Deaf with a capital D. They are likely to use Sign Language as their first language and have little or no access to English. They will have more severe profound deafness.
Deaf Awareness Statistics
In the UK there are 12 million adults with hearing loss. This is equivalent to around one in five adults.
It is estimated that there are 151,000 people in the UK who use British Sign Language and 87,000 of these are Deaf. There are at least 50,000 children who are deaf in the UK.
RNID estimate In the UK, more than 40% of people over 50 years old have hearing loss, rising to more than 70% of people over the age of 70.
There are 7.1 million adults in the UK living with tinnitus.
It is estimated that there are nearly 400,000 deafblind people in the UK.
What is BSL?
Many people view sign language as a means of communication for someone who has been profoundly deaf from childhood. It is important for us view BSL as a language in its own right, used by both Deaf and hearing people in the UK.
There are currently 10 million people suffering from hearing loss in the UK and more than 800,000 are either severely or profoundly deaf.Where can I Learn BSL?
Signature has centres across the UK. To find your local Signature centre enter your postcode below:
Why choose Signature to learn BSL with?
Signature is the leading awarding body for deaf communications qualifications in the UK.
Since beginning our work to promote and teach British Sign Language (BSL), we have supported more than 430,000 people to learn the British Sign Language. We create qualifications that provide our learners with the skills they need to build successful careers. While as a charitable organisation, we work tirelessly to improve communication, by creating learning opportunities for every stage of life. Signature was named ‘Awarding Organisation of the Year’ at the 2019 FAB Awards. The FAB Awards are run by the Federation of Awarding Bodies.What career paths could I follow?
Completing a Signature qualification could lead you on the path to a number of exciting careers.
Learn British Sign Language with Signature
Learn British Sign Language with Signature
If you have been inspired to learn British Sign Language with Signature, you can find a centre in your local area that currently offers our qualifications. You can find the centre search tool here.