- DURATION 8 x 60 mins
Event Description
Ever thought about learning Sign Language but never quite got round to it? Well now is your chance!
Join our new, exciting 8-week introductory course for beginners with no previous experience.
Our course will provide you with the real basics of British Sign Language communication, to allow you to become Deaf friendly and ready to have that initial starter conversation with a Deaf BSL user in the community.
The course will cover essential vocabulary, phrases, and grammar to enable you to hold a basic conversation.
Every week, we will cover bite sized topics that are easy to follow along with the fingerspelling alphabet to enable you to spell appropriate names of people you know and places you live.
This course if ideal for anyone who would like to communicate confidently in BSL and hope you enjoy learning this beautiful, visual, and expressive language with us along the way!
Week 1, we will cover what BSL is and ask the question is it universal and we will cover how to fingerspell the A – Z alphabet and as the course progresses, we will look at how to read back simple finger spelt words.
Please find the handout for the Finger Spelling alphabet here - Finger Spelling Right | Finger Spelling Left
Week 2, we will recap how to fingerspell and examine the rules of fingerspelling and its role in BSL. We will then learn some basic Meet and Greet phrases.
Please find the handout for the Meet and Greet phrases here - Meet and Greet #1.pdf
Week 3, Following learning how to produce the alphabet, for a bit of fun, we will see if you can have a go at attempting to read back some simple fingerspelt names.
We will go back over the Meet and Greet phrases from week 2.
We will look at how to avoid a breakdown in communication with some simple clarification phrases.
Lipreading challenge and brief discussion.
Please find the handout for Clarification here - Clarification.pdf
Please find the handout for Lipreading here - WATCH MY LIPS.docx
Week 4, we will recap on the clarification phrases from week 3.
We will learn some phrases to end a conversation and look at how to introduce some basic Family signs and regional numbers.
We will discuss the different ways to attract the attention of a Deaf person in the most appropriate way.
Please find the handout for Leave taking here - leave taking.pdf
Please find the handout for Family here - Family #1.pdf
Please find the handout for Alternate numbers here - Alternate numbers sheet CS.pdf
Week 5, We will recap last week’s signs Leave Taking, Family and numbers.
We will look at how to talk about Weather.
A brief insight into Deaf Culture – Deaf Joke
Please find the handout for Weather here - Weather
Week 6, recap last week’s Weather signs.
We will learn how to sign travel/transport modes.
An insight into Cochlear Implants and other assistive technology used by D/deaf people.
Please find the handout for Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids here - Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids
Please find the handout for Travel & Transport here - Travel & Transport & Travel Transport #2
Week 7, Recap Travel/transport modes
We will look at using numbers to express basic time.
A brief insight into Deaf Culture - Sign Language Poetry
Please find the handouts for time here - Time 2 and here - Time 3
Please find the handout for Timelines here - Timelines
Week 8, recap all topics.
Deaf Awareness basics – what do we mean by being ‘Deaf Aware’?
Course summary/overview
Evaluations/What next? (Progression routes for BSL)
Once you have booked onto this course, please scroll down the page to the resources section and download the handouts provided.
- Duration: 8 x 60 mins
- Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Meet the Host, Emm Sharpe
Emm Sharpe first became interested in Alternative Therapies in her late teens, when she wanted to find alternative ways to feel better during difficult periods of her early life. Experiencing a highly stressful short marriage which sadly led to divorce at an early age, meant that she endured long periods of low self-esteem and depression. These times were emotionally challenging and she wanted to find other ways to alleviate the stress rather than through traditional methods, for example, being prescribed anti-depressants, where methods such as this, often treat the symptom rather than the cause.
In her early 20’s, she discovered how using pure essential oils and massage could have a profound effect on people’s wellbeing as well as her own. It was this that led her to train to be a Professional Reflexologist and Aromatherapist. She ran a successful private mobile practice for many years in Kent , her childhood home, during her 20’s and early 30’s. Upon moving to the South West to remarry and have her daughter, she rebuilt her private practice part time, whilst her daughter was young.
She now has a flourishing freelance teaching business delivering bespoke introductory Aromatherapy courses in the community, teaching vulnerable learners how to use oils safely at home and with family and friends for minor ailments and to support general wellbeing.
Despite teaching and juggling home and family life, she still manages to fit in some Aromatherapy clients in her spare time locally. She now focuses on the healing benefits of Aromatherapy treatments and is always striving to add to her portfolio, and is now also able to offer Indian Head Massage and Holistic facials to her repertoire.
Emm believes that the more people that discover the holistic healing of Essential oils and Aromatherapy Massage in everyday life, the more they can truly change their lives for the better!
Preparing for the Event
For the best experience, you will need to have Zoom downloaded onto your computer. Please ensure you're connected to broadband/wifi rather than using your mobile phone connection (3G/4G).
We also recommend that pets are either calmly sitting on your lap or in another room, and any refreshments you may require are within your reach!
Resources
Introduction to BSL – learn some basic British Sign Language (BSL) in 8 weeks! has supplementary learning materials provided by the event host. Once you book an event, you will get access to these resources.
More Information
What if I can’t make the event?
If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.
Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?
Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.
How do I watch the live event?
Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.
How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)
Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.