Josh B

My name is Josh. I'm a football coach for Norwich Community Sports Foundation, where i work predominantly within the disability department. Here I've coached over the past few years with players who are deaf and my aim is to try to be able to communicate with them both verbally and in sign so that it can help, especially if they are struggling. Additionally I play in a Disability team where we have a deaf player. In the team i'm the only one who can communicate with him; so being able to sign confidently is something i want to be able to do. He's helped me learn in the past, i know quite a few footballing terms; but in taking a course, this the first time doing doing something like this.

I've been learning off and on through my deaf team mate who plays for our team. I'm the only one who has been able to communicate with him. But i wanted to do this to be able to fully sign confidently with him. Additionally I coach a under 12 team where about 70% of them are deaf. So being able to sign when i am coaching too, will be a big benefit; especially in bad weather when they take out their hearing aids. In my under 16's team there are a couple of deaf players too.