'Everyone should learn basic sign language'

The chief executive of a charity for people with hearing impairments says everyone should learn some basic sign language.

Jenni Dawkins from Deafconnect, in Northampton, believes people who use signing as their main communication method should not have to struggle to find places where they can be understood.

Her charity has just started a new campaign called "Together We Can" to improve the lives of people with hearing problems.

It was launched on Friday by the charity's new patron, Jayne Fletcher, who is a sign song performer known as "Fletch@".

Ms Dawkins told the BBC: "If you're profoundly deaf, all of the time, and you use British Sign Language [BSL] as your first language, how on Earth do you get understood anywhere, other than places that use BSL?

"That is something that we are fighting to stop.

"It's really important that everybody has a basic understanding, so we can at least communicate to the point of saying, 'How are you? Let me get you some help'."

Raising awareness of BSL is one part of the charity's new campaign, which was launched by Ms Fletcher at Deafconnect's offices in the Spencer Dallington Community Centre.

The campaign also has four aims - making change, improving provision, changing lives and celebrating deaf culture.

Ms Fletcher is profoundly deaf and is known across the UK and beyond as a performer who interprets and performs songs using sign language.

She has worked with the likes of global stars Ed Sheeran, P!nk and Ronan Keating.

Although the charity's new patron has done a lot to raise awareness of sign language, Ms Dawkins said it was still not known widely enough.

She said: "The problem with sign language is that everybody sees it on these television programmes, like the talent shows, and they have choirs of small children doing sign language, and it looks beautiful, and it is a beautiful, expressive language, and everyone says, 'I'd love to learn that', but nobody does.

"It's quite difficult to find a class that will teach you. It's also quite difficult to afford to learn sign language, which is why we've started doing some basic sign language courses."

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