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Hi all, Im Rob im 24 years old from Preston in the UK. I am deaf in both ears and have been all my life. I'm learning sign language so that in the future I can help deaf people in fitness and help them achieve their fitness goals. I am currently living out in Australia in Melbourne. I would love to connect with as many of you as i can on instagram and help have some accountability for learning sign language.

I am a student paramedic and feel that learning sign language will help me if I ever meet a patient who is deaf or who is non verbal!

Once upon a time, in the digital age of 2023, I found myself embarking on a journey that I never could have predicted. It all started with a simple yet profound desire to learn British Sign Language (BSL), and this journey unfolded in the most unexpected way, thanks to my young brother. My younger brother, Alex, was born with a natural curiosity and an unparalleled sense of wonder. He had always been fascinated by different cultures, languages, and ways of communication. One day, while we were sitting in our cozy living room, he expressed his interest in learning British Sign Language. As he shared his desire with me, his enthusiasm was contagious. I could see how passionate he was about the idea, and I couldn't help but support him in his quest to learn BSL. Excited to help my brother achieve his goal, I began searching for BSL courses online. The internet was a treasure trove of information, but not all courses were equal. I wanted to find the perfect course that would cater to Alex's learning style and provide him with the best possible education in BSL. After hours of research, I stumbled upon the "Lead Academy" online course. It had excellent reviews and a comprehensive curriculum that seemed tailor-made for Alex. The course promised to teach BSL in an engaging and interactive way, making it suitable for learners of all ages. I knew this was the perfect opportunity for Alex to begin his journey into the world of sign language. I decided to sign up for the course and present it as a surprise gift to Alex. Little did I know that this decision would lead to a life-changing experience for both of us. As we dove headfirst into the world of BSL, our lives began to transform. Not only were we learning a new language, but we were also gaining a deeper appreciation for the deaf and hard of hearing communities. Over the course of our learning journey, we met incredible individuals who were part of the BSL community. Their stories and experiences opened our eyes to a world filled with resilience, creativity, and rich cultural history. We started to see BSL not just as a language but as a bridge that connects people and breaks down barriers. Our own communication skills improved, and our bond as siblings grew stronger as we practiced together and shared in our progress. Alex's journey to learn BSL, which initially began as a personal interest, had a profound impact on our lives. We learned more than just a new language; we learned empathy, understanding, and the power of human connection. This unexpected adventure brought us closer together and opened our hearts to a world of diversity and inclusivity that we had never fully comprehended before. In the end, our pursuit of a BSL course for my young brother led us to not only a newfound skill but also to a deeper understanding of the beauty of language and the importance of inclusivity in our ever-evolving world. It was a journey we never planned, but it was one that changed our lives in ways we could never have imagined.

Many years ago, I was artistic director of a small scale touring theatre company in Scotland, and I wanted to make our work as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. I engaged a mime artist who was also an experienced speaker of BSL to work with us, and she created a beautiful character who only communicated in BSL, and she taught the other cast members a few signs so that they could supplement their spoken text when necessary. I aimed to learn BSL myself, but life and the universe had other plans for me. Now is my time. I'm ready.

Hi, nice to be here! I am learning bsl because I work supporting students at college and wish to be able to communicate better. Also this is a fascinating language to learn and I am just really interested!

Nice to meet you all! My name is Xenia Lopez and I am from Spain, but soon moving to the Scotland. I have been learning BSL for 4 months, and I wish to continue getting better.

Hi, I'm learning BSL, it is something I've always been interested in learning sign language partly because my son struggles to communicate sometimes due to his Autism. Now a young boy has joined our church and he is deaf and learning to sign, I would like to help him feel welcome.

Hi BSL members. My name is Dorothy (DJ), and I’ve only just started to learn BSL after attempting to learn on my own during COVID. I am not deaf but my mother who’s turning 93 soon is now partially deaf. I am aiming to teach her BSL. I was recently in my local Coop and saw a couple of people using the sign language and attempted to join in but failed miserably, however they were very encouraging. Even more so when I just about managed to sign my name. I work full time and hope to use the BSL in my work, and communicate with people using BSL.

hi yes that helps thank you for replying

I am a celebrant, which means I write and conduct ceremonies for funerals and weddings. I felt it was important I be able to offer an fully inclusive ceremony, so wanted to learn BSL for that reason.

I am Rebecca. I have been learning sign language through British Sign Language webpage for the past 2 years. I haven’t got far with the course. I have some deaf friends in the church I go to Bromley Town Church. I am learning sign language so I can talk to my friends. I am considering becoming one of the interrupters at church if and when I know enough sign language.

Personally, I use a bit of both especially as some use the same sign for different words. I often look at the sign first then rewatch it looking at both sign and face for clarification. Hope this helps

Hi, I absolutely love this game and has helped me massively, with learning and made it much more fun, will there ever be an option to do choose left or right handed finger spelling for this game, as this is a stumbling block for me and does dishearten me when I feel like I am improving. Many thanks Becky

Hi my name is Rick. I have started doing BSL for two reasons the main one being to converse with my daughter, who has had a cochlear implant for over 20yrs and is now suffering extreme pain and might have to have it removed. Second I did level 1 some years ago sadly failed the assessment and never got around to resitting it, now I'm retired so plenty of time plus it will keep my brain active

Hi, I am learning BSL to help me with my work with the NHS in the community.

Hello I'm Dot 👋 I'm learning sign language as I teach art to children and I would love to be able to teach all children, hearing and Deaf! I also think that BSL is an amazing language to learn as it is so visual.

I am learning BSL to support one of the chidren who attends my nursery. He is nearly 2 and has profound hearing loss, he will possibly have a cochlea implant but will likely need to use signs too.

I'm learning sign language to help support a non-verbal and deaf autistic person

Hi im George (They/Them), wished I had a better reason to study BSL beyond I wanted too.

I am learning BSL as a mortgage broker with a niece and great nephew who are both hearing impaired. This has opened my eyes to how accessibility is such a problem in the UK for those that are deaf or hearing impaired. I intend to learn BSL in order to be able to remotely provide accessible mortgage and insurance advice for all. I will also enjoy being able to communicate with my niece and nephew in BSL. I am also teaching my children as I learn too and they are loving it so far! I'd be grateful and interested to hear about anyone who would find BSL a useful language to be able to communicate in when getting financial advice. Has it been something you have heard of before? Do you think there are lots of people that will find it useful? It's going to be a lot to learn before I am fluent so I'm hoping my clients know that I am trying my best to learn it quickly and accurately!

This is awesome Rachelle well done and hope your journey is going well so far

Hi , I'm learning BSL because about 2 years ago I met a deaf friend working as a steward at GTFC and discovered very quickly that BSL is a very useful skill to have and will enable me to communicate with the deaf community, this lead me to try and teach myself which went well to begin with but over the last 2 years Im a long way from where i would have been if Id had a coach or a course to follow. I dont have anyone that I see on a regular basis that sign so Im hoping this forum and chat rooms will be able to give me the hands on practice Im going to need. Looking forward to speeding up my journey.

Hi, my name is Robert, and I'm learning BSL (along with the rest of my family) in case my wife's hearing loss continues to deteriorate. We are finding learning sign language challenging but interesting. Good luck to everyone starting this journey!

Hi all, I am just doing the Intro to BSL and would like to use this forum to practice what I have learned so far. Anyone else like me? I have no deaf friends or other people that I know can sign. I have only done finger spelling, numbers and colours, introductions, jobs and places. But I am working my way through it. I feel like joining or watching others chat might help cement things into my brain a bit more 🙂

First started 1992 , so a new comer😀. Hoping to complete level 1 having problems reading other signers - needs lots of practise.

Hi! I decided to learn BSL for my boyfriend as he is deaf and I think that it is unfair for him to constantly make an effort to accomodate me by using lip reading and pen-writing, hence me learning this in an effort to bridge the language gap.

Hi everyone! I've wanted to learn BSL for a few years due to the decline in my grandpa's hearing. Unfortunately, a few days ago he lost all hearing. I want him to know I care.

Hi, I’m Shelly from the West Midlands and am another new member. I’ve been interested in BSL for years and taught myself the alphabet and that was about it, so I decided to go for it properly. I enrolled in the programme and am loving it so far. It would be great to meet other people wanting to sign, especially if you know the signs for the local places by me - the closest one I’ve found is Wolverhampton which is the wolf sign - makes sense!

This is amazing, thank you! I’m from Kingswinford, so was trying to look up local places but like I said, couldn’t find anything other than Wolverhampton 🙂

Hi 👋 My name is Sarah. I have just finished my BSL L1 with Teach Me Sign, fantastic course and teacher. I am waiting patiently for my test results from Signature and hope to start my L2 in September. I come here most days to practise my fingerspelling receptive skills, and admire people getting scores of 60+ so much! You are slaying it. I am lucky enough to have a job working with people who first language is BSL and I am determined to get more confident and fluent so I can have better conversations. My aim is that one day they won't need to use their access to work allowance for our chats!

Hello everyone, I'm not very good at forums an whatnot but here we go. I've been interested in learning sign language for a number of years, I tried books but it doesn't allow you to converse with someone and you have no idea if you're doing it right. I can hear and don't know anybody from the deaf community personally but just want to create a more inclusive world, even if its only my little world. I hoping to start signing with someone soon, but for now the course I'm doing has been very helpful. I currently work for one of the Oxford University colleges and I hope one day I may be able to support and encourage students using BSL. Thank you for reading my rambling

Hi Jenna, I thought I would post here as I spotted your post whilst I was doing some online research about bsl and found it a bit surreal as your message had a lot of parallels to our situation. I am in Scotland with a 7 week old who has been diagnosed as deaf last week. Just felt I should say hi. Happy to have a chat if your in the frame of mind to do so. Thanks, Karrie

Hi Suzie, I completely agree! I believe that sign language should be used in schools around the UK. Including sign language in the school, curriculum promotes inclusivity, breaks down barriers between hearing and deaf individuals, and enables effective communication for all. By teaching sign language, we demonstrate that there is no fundamental difference between these groups, fostering a more inclusive society. Students with sign language skills can communicate effectively with the deaf community, bridging communication gaps. This integration ensures every student learns this valuable skill, fostering empathy, understanding, and appreciation for diverse forms of communication. By embracing sign language education, we create a cohesive and compassionate society where everyone can connect on a deeper level. This not only empowers the deaf community but also helps to bridge the communication gap that often exists in our society.

Keep at it, Annie! Same as Stevel said; perseverance is the key People are all different, and also have different ways of learning, don't let it put you off! I am also a slow learner and do better at retaining information if I use it, so I may pick something up in a lesson but then it's gone by the time the assessment comes along, if I haven't continued to use it in between! Give yourself a break and go at your own pace, you will get there x

Annie, Do not give up trying. I have just completed the course, I am 65 and my wife suffers with hearing loss and it is getting worse. Undertook this course to give us both a chance to learn new ways of communication. Just because others pick it up quicker does not mean that you will not succeed in learning. As a nurse you must remember how hard it can be to teach someone new, and how well they eventually become. Well this is just the same persevere and you will get there. All the best.

Hi everyone. My name is Elaine, and I’ve always wanted to learn sign language. I’m taking a weekly face to face class, and hope this site will help my skills improve at the same time! I’m 56 years old, so I think I may be a little slow at this, but I’m looking forward to learning a new skill.

Hello everyone, I am new to BSL just completed lesson 3, after many years of considering the course, I finally got on with it, I am really enjoying it so far, here's looking forward and may I keep enjoying the new experience. You never know when a skill like this will come in handy, even if only to be able to say hello to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and knows sign.

hi, im toria and im 20 years old. after quite a while of telling myself i'm going to learn BSL i've finally taken the step and signed up for an online course. i've had an interest in sign language since i was quite young but working in the care sector and being surrounded by Makaton made me realise just how much i wanted to learn to sign and how important it is to know as for some people, it may be their only way of being able to communicate effectively. there's a few reasons i wanted to start learning: general interest in the language, wanting to be able to communicate better/more efficiently with those in the community, will possibly enable me to work with and for the deaf community wether that's volunteering or paid work, and to use it as an aid for myself in situations where i find it hard to talk due to things like overstimulation etc. as i get more comfortable with my learning, i will consider a buddy to further help but as of now im just getting used to new information. thanks for reading, and all the best with your journey too! :)

Hello! My name is Claire and I live in Milton Keynes. I love to learn so learning BSL seemed like a bit of a different challenge. I'm quite an introvert, so learning to embrace my facial expressions is proving hard! I'm not confident enough to try a video for now, but I hope to be able to attempt this soon. Take care all, XxX

That was really good fun to watch!