1. Many people don't fully appreciate that British Sign Language is a proper language in its own right. It has its own vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure, just like any other language. It is definitely not a signed form of spoken or written English. So never assume that an alternative way of communicating is by writing notes on a pad. Someone whose language is British Sign Language may not be able to understand written English.
2. In the early part of the 20th century, signing was banned in many deaf schools. There was a misguided belief that all deaf children and young people should learn to get by as best they could in the hearing world. That meant learning to lip-read and making the most of residual hearing. This denied young people the chance of full self-expression in their own language. Times have changed. Sign language is used regularly at conferences, theatre performances and inset on television programmes.
3. Consider how your youth project could access the services of a British Sign Language interpreter and under what circumstances. You may not have a need for one at the moment. But the Disability Discrimination Act requires youth work and other education services to anticipate the needs of disabled users. So if a sign language user turned up at your project, where would you go for an interpreter? How quickly would you respond? How would an interpreter be financed, and for what kinds of events?
4. British Sign Language received a long-awaited boost in March this year with an official government statement of recognition. The Government said it will give careful consideration to any proposals that the Council of Europe's Charter for Regional or Minority Languages might make. There are hopes for legislation to help promote sign languages.
5. British Sign Language is not just finger spelling. But learning how to spell out the alphabet is easier than most people think and is useful as well as a fun activity. There is a special chance coming up with the British Deaf Association's Learn to Sign Week 2003, from 13 to 19 October. Details are available at www.learntosign.org.uk.
6. Signing is very handy in noisy places or across a crowded room. It is also cheaper than texting. Many hearing people get interested - and want to learn more. The British Deaf Association says sign language is best taught by a native user, a deaf person, in a class.
