Learn Basic Sign Language
Learn enough sign language to say hello, introduce yourself and ask a simple question - and change how a stranger's day goes.
- Cost
- Free / Under £20pp / £20+pp
- Time
- 60-90 min
- People
- Solo / Duo, Small Group (3-6), Large Group (7+)
- Where
- Home, Café
- Bring
- Nothing in particular
Why this matters
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people navigate a world built almost entirely around hearing, and most hearing people never learn a single sign. Knowing even a handful means someone doesn't have to do all the work of being understood. It's one of the clearest ways to make a person feel seen rather than accommodated.
How to do it
An underappreciated way of being generous to people around you is learning some basic sign language of your own country. If you're in the UK, learning how to say hello, introduce yourself and ask basic questions in British Sign Language is a great way of connecting with people with hearing difficulties.
This is wide open - you can do it alone, with a friend, as a couple or in a group.
There are plenty of paid in-person and online courses, but you can also learn British Sign Language for free on platforms like commandinghands.co.uk/online-bsl-course or british-sign.co.uk. Look up the equivalent for your own country's sign language - note that sign languages are not universal, and BSL and ASL are genuinely different languages, not dialects.
Creative ways to learn: 1. Organise a dinner with friends at a pub. Prepare the basics in advance (including the "10 things to know before learning BSL") plus 10 signs for everyone. Learn them together and try to hold a conversation. 2. If you know someone who signs, ask if they'd run a free lesson for your friends, colleagues, neighbours or sports club. 3. Start an async learning competition - everyone learns however they like, then you meet up and show off.
One note on doing this respectfully: learning a few signs is a genuine gesture, not a party trick. If you do meet someone Deaf, be upfront that you're a beginner, and let them set the pace.