Introduce Yourself

[Sophie Barnes]

Hello,  my name is Sophie and I am a supply teaching assistant in a primary school in South Wales. During lockdown I wanted to enhance my skills and build my CV. I love learning new languages and have always wanted to learn sign language! I have just finished my degree in Childhood Studies and aspire to become a play therapist. Learning BSL will hopefully allow me to communicate with children and young people who use BSL and will broaden my horizons in being able to support children and young people who use BSL.  

[Ruth Harvey]

Hi Sophie and everyone else on this forum starting to learn BSL. I'm Ruth, I'm at home currently on lockdown and waiting to start my new job, while I'm waiting I wanted to start to learn a new language. The other evening I was out running with my husband and we came across a guy who was deaf and was communicating to us with gestures. We tried to communicate back with lip reading/gesticulation but I wish I knew what he was saying and I wanted to communicate back more completely. I've just done the first hour and am amazed by how quickly I've started to pick it up, hopefully I can learn lots before I have to get back to my full time job. 

[Jeetus Maximus Sohpal]

Hi Sophie and Ruth. I got my beginners certificate a few weeks ago - it really has opened up a whole new world for me. I currently work in IT for a large company in Birmingham and I am now looking for ways to connect sign language and IT to make it even more inclusive.