New BSL video clips to support deaf participants in athletics
Video clips to help athletics coaches and leaders learn basic sports related British Sign Language (BSL), to support people with hearing impairments, have been launched today. The clips have been created by the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) in partnership with England Athletics. Featuring key athletics words and phrases that have been signed in British Sign Language (BSL), the short films are designed to help coaches and leaders communicate with deaf participants.
Available at www.ndcs.org.uk/BSLforSport, the BSL clips are split into athletics clips as well as general ones for sport. They aim to show, how through making simple steps, coaches and leaders can address some of the communication challenges that many deaf people face, for instance missing out on what a coach or leader says or not being able to hear a whistle blow.
Liz Purbrick, National Disability Manager (Community Participation) at England Athletics said:
"The new BSL videos are another great resource available to our leaders, coaches and clubs/group volunteers to help them to better support deaf people in athletics. We are extremely grateful for the support given to us by NDCS in creating these videos and to Deaflympian Rebecca Zelic for signing them for us."
Hayley Jarvis, Head of Inclusive Activities at NDCS, said:
"It’s fantastic that the UK's leading sport organisations have supported our ongoing work to break down barriers in sport for children with hearing loss. Involving deaf children in sport is brilliant for their confidence and self-esteem. Deafness is not a barrier to taking part in sport. By following simple steps like learning basic BSL signs, leaders and coaches can create a welcoming, deaf-friendly atmosphere in their club. We urge all sport clubs to have a go at learning the signs and create equal opportunities for deaf children to enjoy sport."
There are more than 45,000 deaf children in the UK. With the right support in place, deaf children can thrive and achieve as well as other children. However, without the right support, deaf children are vulnerable to social isolation, low self-esteem and underachievement in school.
NDCS runs the Me2 Deaf-Friendly Project, a project aimed at supporting sport and leisure organisations to include deaf children in their activities, delivering training and offering resources on deaf awareness.
