Bridging the Gap Between the Hearing & Deaf Worlds
With more videos of signd videos on social media than ever before, it has helped to spread awareness and the beauty of sign language.
But with more hearing people creating signed videos too, is this a positive thing or is there a dark side to it?
Find out here on whether hearing people should create signed videos
It’s time we give sign language interpreters a break and give them the recognition and appreciation that they deserve.
Many people don’t realise that simultaneous interpreting (and by the way, that applies to oral language interpretation too), requires a high-level of focus, listening and concentration.
And most of us don’t see that.
So let’s give them credit for what they do and appreciate it, and I’d like to start by sharing my thoughts below.
In this episode, I got chatting Kimberly Sanzo of Language First who has an incredible insight in the world of language deprivation that d/Deaf children can go through and the importance of having the right environment to encourage language acquisition.
Like all interviews on this podcast, I come away with a different on a topic that I don’t have lot of knowledge about but after chatting to Kimberly, it has opened up my mind about the power of sign languages, and I’m sure it will do the same to you too.
Instead of talking about the benefits of learning sign languages and why you should learn it, I want to talk about my own personal reasons on why I want to learn sign language.
Because as much as everyone has their own reasons and there are many benefits to learning any languages in general let alone sign language, I have my reasons which I explain in this podcast.
As someone who is considered to be fairly multi-lingual (with English, Arabic and Spanish at various levels), I’d like to think that I understand the process and the benefits that comes with learning languages.
But as someone who is currently going through the process of learning BSL, it requires a slightly different learning process but still comes with a rich learning experience and a fantastic skill to have.
And there are many benefits that comes with it too.
You may have seen via ‘My BSL Journey’, where I document my early stages of learning British Sign Language, that I actually use a form of Sign Supported English instead of a true BSL.
But what is Sign Supported English and how is it different to British Sign Language?
In episode 16, I interviewed Professor Donald Grushkin from California State University, Scaramento who is a profoundly Deaf scholar and researcher in various aspects of Deafhood such as history, community and culture.
In episode 14, I talk to Rob and Adam from the British pop-rock band ‘Chasing Deer’ about how they have incorporated BSL into their music and their passion around making their gigs deaf-friendly so that everyone can enjoy their music, regardless of whether you are hearing or d/Deaf.
Even though I have been learning BSL (British Sign Language) for a few months now, I was thinking about ways to make myself accountable.
It’s so easy to trail off your latest interests, passions and hobbies after the initial excitements. It’s no surprise that many people give up their New Year resolutions in February every single year.
Thankfully for me, I have continued to keep learning BSL but in order to keep myself accountable and also document my progress, I have decided to start ‘My BSL Journey’, which will document my journey as I learn British Sign Language.
