British Sign Language (BSL) is used in the United Kingdom. The number of Deaf people in the UK using BSL has been put at about 50,000; there are in addition many more hearing people who use BSL to communicate with Deaf users.
Sign languages are not related to spoken languages and BSL is completely different, for example, from American Sign Language.
Sign language conveys meaning through the use of space and movement of the hands, body, face and head.
We know that many hearing people are keen to learn BSL (it is a very popular evening class course, for example). But there is a lack of good teaching materials written in English for hearing learners of BSL, which this course fills.
Get Started in British Sign Language follows the BSL curricula taught currently in colleges (Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People CACDP and Institute of BSL) and therefore will be able to be used as support material by learners, as well as providing a complete grounding in the structure and grammar of BSL.
Why is this the best course on the market?
- It is Deaf-led (so often deaf people are not in charge)
- It has Deaf authenticity (a bit like a Black person writing a book on Black Culture)
- It has a Deaf illustrator (how many BSL books are illustrated by a Deaf person? Go on, check)
- It has Deaf authors (Yes, go on and check! Authors, not ‘contributors'!)
- It has a DVD which can be downloaded to a phone, computer, TV, laptop (the possibilities are endless)
- It's fun (just like the other TY books)
- The format is clear - lots of hand holding (you never need to ask ‘what does this mean?')
- Only BSL experts who are deaf are used as authors and advisers (not hearing professors)
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