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Hi my name is Danielle.

Hi all, My name is Ilona and I am a trainee teacher trying to learn a new skill whilst in quarantine. Hope you are all well! Thanks, Ilona

Hi Everyone! My name is Abi, I'm a 24 year old Technical Fashion Designer that lives and works in London. I wanted to learn BSL to make the most out of lockdown. I'm hoping to turn a difficult situation into something productive and helpful! I have just completed assessment 3 and I am really enjoying it. I have been trying to look for a way to sign 'Fashion Designer' but I can't seem to find this. Does anybody know this sign? Or is it best to fingerspell in this instance? I am looking forward to learning more and getting to know you all!

Hello everyone. My name is Isabelle, I'm 21 and I'm a psychology PhD researcher living in Birmingham though I'm originally from Ireland. I'm really looking forward to getting better at BSL. I have been meaning to learn a sign language for a long time as my mother is a paediatric occupational therapist and as a small child she taught me bits and pieces of ISL and makaton which she uses with some of her clients. It seemed really cool to me that people who couldn't hear or speak oral/aural languages had developed a system to communicate anyway. As a child it seemed like a super cool secret code, and as I grew older it seemed like a great way to gain some insight into the experiences and culture of Deaf people in my community and around the world. I'd always had a really easy time picking up new languages so I thought it would be easy to learn sign language. I found that it was a lot harder and more complicated than I had thought, probably because I didn't realise that ASL/ISL/BSL/etc. were all completely different languages with their own vocabulary and rules. So I gave up and didn't think about it again for a long time. Recently though I started watching a YouTuber called Jessica Kellgren‐Fozard who does lots of history and vintage fashion videos etc. and also happens to be deaf. She made a video about how SSE, which she uses, differs from BSL, and spoke about Deaf culture and the history of sign language etc. and I found it really fascinating. I ended up doing a lot of research and reading about the development and history of sign languages and deaf communities around the world and I decided now was a good time to try learning to sign again ‐ after all it's not like I don't have plenty of time now we're all locked in our houses. Since I've decided to stay in the UK once I finally finish my studies, I decided it would be better to learn BSL instead as I'm unlikely to meet many people who use ISL here. I don't have any deaf or hard‐of‐hearing people in my life at the moment but I'm hoping that I can continue learning and practicing my BSL so that in the event I do meet someone who uses it I can communicate with them and maybe make some new friends. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all 😃

Hi guys I briefly began to learn BSL when I was about 12 or 13 and I have always been fascinated to learn more. 10 years later and I am learning BSL as a full-time hobby and, hopefully, I can find something (i.e. a career or voluntary work) where I can begin to use it in day-to-day life. I am really enjoying the course so far and look forward to completing my Level 1 this year.

Hi my name is Ariane I am new to BSL. I live in Manchester I work in a nusery. I wanted to learn BSL for some time. So I can communicate with others and use sign with children to help and support them. Also I find it fascinating the way BSL is used. I look forward where this journey will take me and using BSL in my daily life when I am more confident

Hi my name is Lexi, I've had an interest in sign language for a while but what really drove me to learn it was becoming a mum, I'm currently studying Introduction to British Sign Language online in hopes that I'll be able to learn to communicate with my baby as well as teaching him to sign too. I'm really enjoying my course at the moment and can't wait to learn more!

Hello! I'm new here, I'm a student and 16, and really interested in learning! Any tips would be helpful, and here's hoping I can remember something for once!

Hello my name is chandelle and I'm new to bsl. In about a week and a half I have my English presentation about a book that's mainly about bsl so I thought it would be nice to introduce myself in bsl but I need a little bit help with it. The sentence that I want to translate to bsl is: Hello my name is chandelle and my presentation is about the book a quiet kind of thunder. Could someone please help me translate this to bsl because it's a little bit confusing as a beginner. In advance I would like to thank the person who would be so nice to help me.

Hello! I'm from Italy and now living in London. I've just started learning BSL. I decided to approach BSL for a simple reason actually, because in my new workplace some of my colleagues are deaf: I feel curious and I would like to communicate with them. Now that I've started learning more about how BSL is structured I'm discovering it to be such a fascinating way to communicate. Can someone tell me how long usually does it takes to be confident in signing? I really hope to be able to hold a proper conversation soon!