So, you’ve decided to learn British Sign Language. Now you would like more ways to practice BSL and get fully immersed in the language. Remember that BSL is a language in its own right. Learning and becoming fluent takes time. With extra effort and by getting involved in the deaf community, you can learn more than if you only attend a course.
We’ve put together our top tips for ways you can improve outside of your class time.
These tips are intended to compliment your Signature course. If you’re looking for a BSL course, Deaf Unity offer all levels, from introduction to Level 6.
1. Follow deaf creators on social media
Follow deaf BSL users who can give you a deep understanding of the culture and history as well as the language. With the rise in popularity of BSL and SSE on social media, there’s a lot of videos out there which aren’t always correct, often posted by people who are not fluent. We love to see more BSL but be mindful in choosing who you learn from!
2. Watch shows made by deaf people
Here you get to see BSL being used in everyday situations, whether you enjoy watching documentaries or dramas, it’s a great way to immerse yourself in the language. If you have time, note down new signs you learn, and think of ways to incorporate the vocab into your practice.
Some of our favourite BSL TV shows are:
Reunion – a bilingual revenge thriller written by deaf writer William Mager with an outstanding cast of deaf actors. The show exposes how much the justice system is failing deaf people and the importance of communication. Available on BBC iPlayer.
See Hear – a magazine show which highlights events, news and issues in the deaf community. Available on BBC iPlayer.
This is Deaf – a magazine show focussing on deaf culture. Available on LumoTV.
Small World – a sitcom inspired by Friends about a group of deaf flatmates. Available on LumoTV.
3. Attend deaf clubs
Try to contact the club beforehand to check if it’s okay for you to attend. These spaces are generally for deaf people to catch up and socialise rather than help learners. If it is okay, go ahead and get fully involved in the deaf community. Meet new people and practice BSL.
There’s also lots of face-to-face and online BSL learning groups you can join which gives you more opportunity to practice.
Our Deaf Unity Cafe is a monthly event in London for BSL users and learners so if you’re in the area, stop by! It takes place on the third Friday of every month at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Join our Facebook group to keep up-to-date.
If you know any other practice groups, leave a comment!
4. Attend deaf events and shows
Our events page lists lots of events for the deaf community, try to find deaf-led or BSL integrated shows. Follow deaf comedians, actors and theatre directors so you can keep up to date with events.
One deaf-led production company to follow is Deafinitely Theatre who produce bilingual BSL and spoken English theatre performances. Our Role Model, Paula Garfield MBE is the artistic director and founder of Deafinitely Theatre, so make sure to check out her interview.
5. Fingerspelling games
Fingerspelling can be a tricky thing to get used to as a beginner, and often catches people out. Games can help make it more fun, such as spelling out registration plates as you go past cars, or names on road signs. You can also practice by spelling the names of people on TV.
6. Watch BSL translation videos
These can help you with your receptive skills and enable you to see how a professional deaf translator would sign specific sentences. You can find lots of translation videos on government YouTube accounts like @DWPSign
Deaf Unity has Employment BSL resources
SignHealth also has a bank of BSL resources.
Bonus tip!
Watch our inspirational Role Model BSL interviews. The English is available on our website, but try to understand first without looking. Here’s one of them below featuring Nadia Nadarajah:
Good luck with your journey learning BSL!
If you have any other tips, let us know in the comments.
