Welcome to UWE British Sign Language Society ** Society of the year two years in a row - 2022/23 and 2023/2024**
Our society is for anyone who uses British Sign Language (BSL). We welcome students who are Deaf, hard of hearing or those simply with an interest in learning BSL (including beginners!)
The society’s main goals include:
According to the British Deaf Association, there are approximately 250,000 people who use BSL daily. After years of campaigning, the government has passed the British Sign Language Act, a law which will finally recognise BSL as an official language in England and Wales. This law will promote BSL and help create a more inclusive and accessible society. If you are new to BSL, this really is a great time to start learning!
Whether you have previously studied BSL at any level, or if BSL is completely new to you, we encourage you to get involved! Through our society you can work your way through both level 1 and level 2 qualifications on campus! This is taught by an award winning teacher who has been teaching for over 20 years. For those students looking to improve their Deaf awareness but cannot commit as much time, we also frequently run free professional Deaf awareness CPD courses for healthcare and education students. Last year we were able to offer places to over 300 healthcare students!
As a society, we believe the very best way to learn BSL is from a qualified, deaf teacher. It is for this reason that we decided to leave the teaching to the professionals. If you cannot afford to join a BSL class, don't worry! We can recommend a ton of great online resouces which you can work through in your own time! Even if you are a complete beginner, drop us a message or pop along to one of our events to find out how you can get start on your BSL journey!
Of course we also love a good social too! Each month we will be running regular social events both on and off campus, allowing students the opportunity to practice using sign language in a relaxed enviroment. If you are feeling slightly more confident with your signing abilities, then be sure to check out the fantastic mix of events occuring in Bristol's deaf community which will promote every month, including:
- Deaf/BSL pub nights (including joint socials with Bristol university!)
- Board games afternoons in the Watershed by the harbour side
- Deaf conversations about cinema
Finally, if you feel as strongly as we do about promoting BSL and creating a fairer and more inclusive society, then why not join our committee? Our society needs committee members to help run events and eventually take over the society. No experience is required to join. All you need is enthusiam and to be a team player!
Thank you very much for taking the time to read about our society and we hope you will consider joining us!
If you have any questions, then please email us at uwebslsociety@gmail.com. Otherwise follow us on Instagram - @Uwebslsociety