British Sign Language for Children and Families

Who is this course for?

Suitable for families and children in Key Stage 2 (school year groups 3, 4, 5 and 6) to feel more confident with communicating with their family and peers.

The course will develop your basic BSL and enable you to have a conversation in simple BSL with deaf or hard of hearing children.

Each parent is able to bring up to 2 children, if you would like another adult to attend with you, you will need to book them a place for an additional £50.

How will I learn?

This course will be delivered on Saturday mornings.

The course runs for 6 weeks and each week you will attend a 1.5 hour session from 10am to 11.30am.

Amanda Smith, Associate Professor for British Sign Language and Deaf Studies

Amanda Smith is a Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) user, with experience teaching BSL for over 20 years, 18 of which have been at York St John University.

As an Associate Professor at York St John, she teaches on all levels of British Sign Language modules, facilitating learning for students who may never have signed a word to those who have some fluency in BSL. Including aspects of the deaf lived experience into teaching, Amanda helps to raise awareness of deaf people as a cultural as well as linguistic minority.

In 2011, she was awarded National Teacher of the Year by Signature and, in 2012, York Adult Tutor of the Year by City of York Council’s “York 800”. In 2019 she was nominated for the ‘inspirational teaching’ and ‘most supportive staff member’ of the year awards by York St John Students' Union.