In celebration of sign language

Have you noticed sign language becoming more prominent in society lately? It’s gradual, but it’s happening. You might’ve watched Rose Ayling-Ellis win Strictly. Or Marvel’s TV series ‘Hawkeye’. Or the signed version of the Queen’s funeral on BBC Two. 

You might also have read that British Sign Language (BSL) is now officially a recognised language in the UK. And as today (23rd) is International Day of Sign Languages, we’d like to share our own experiences of BSL, and how all of these developments will help create a more inclusive country. 

At GOOD, it all started around three years ago, when we began working with disability charity Sense on a campaign to engage the public in the many merits of BSL. That campaign became Sense Sign School, one of the highlights of my career so far. 

As a copywriter, you’re always learning in this industry. But I never thought I’d be learning a new language while sitting at my desk. In writing several short video lessons for that initial engagement campaign, and 12 months’ worth of learning guides for the subscription product, I’ve researched and described well over 100 signs. It’s been truly fascinating – even if I can’t claim to remember all of them. 

If you’ll let me get geeky for a second, it’s been especially interesting to learn how sentences are formed in BSL – usually in a simplified ‘topic > comment’ structure. So you’d sign ‘Sunny, me happy’ instead of ‘The sun makes me happy’. It’s a lesson I learned the hard way on our first shoot, when the BSL interpreter’s input caused some frantic script scribbling. 

That was also the first time we met Tyrese Dibba, a teenager who is now the ‘headteacher’ at Sign School. What a guy. I wanted him to be a cheeky teacher, and boy was he. His lessons turned him into a bit of a star, taking him onto the big news outlets like BBC, Sky and ITV – and he even won a Pride of Birmingham award for all his good work. 

One of the most important things I took from our time with Tyrese, aside from how to sign ‘pigs in blankets’, was the fact that he always really appreciated when you gave BSL a go yourself, even if it wasn’t perfect (and it certainly was not). That’s the joy of learning BSL – that even at a basic level, you can have a conversation with someone in the Deaf community, who otherwise might feel left out of everyday life. 

Together with Sense, we set out to break down those communication barriers and help create a more inclusive society. And with over 80,000 sign-ups from the engagement campaign (1120% over target), we’ve certainly done our bit.  

Today, Sense Sign School is a subscription product, where illustrated versions of Tyrese and his fellow teachers help you learn about new topics every month. We’ve gone from learning about the basics like fingerspelling, to asking common questions, like ‘What’s the time?’. The best bit? Knowing that every single sign helps society become a little more inclusive.