Deaf Awareness Week 2022
Added: (Sun May 01 2022)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
PRESS RELEASE
EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY 2 MAY 2022 00:01
BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE APP GOES FREE FOR DEAF AWARENESS WEEK
www.brightbsl.co.uk
Facebook: /BrightBSL
Instagram: /Bright.BSL
Press images available online
● Bright BSL, which launched on the App Store to five-star reviews last month, will offer all of its premium lessons for free in major push for accessibility
● Offer follows an explosion of interest in sign language lessons after Deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis’ historic Strictly win and British Sign Language Bill success
● This year’s Deaf Awareness Week aims to promote the inclusion of the Deaf community within British society.
Budding British Sign Language (BSL) learners priced out of expensive courses will have a rare opportunity to develop their signing skills from today, when the mobile app Bright BSL offers its package of lessons to all users for free.
The move coincides with this year’s Deaf Awareness Week and its theme of Deaf Inclusion, matching Bright BSL’s mission of bridging the gap between the Deaf and hearing world.
Created by Kent-based Deaf course providers B.S.L Training in collaboration with SignLab, a UN-backed team of engineers, teachers and entrepreneurs, Bright BSL is making learning British Sign Language more accessible, affordable and effective.
Hitting the UK App Store in March to five-star reviews, Bright BSL is the latest expansion from international start-up SignLab as it looks to provide 60% of the Deaf population, families, schools and communities with access to the joy of sign language learning by December 2022.
Kent-based Deaf course providers B.S.L Training has developed the course, with tutors Karen and Andrew Belcher covering subjects such as greetings, colours and numbers with engaging and interactive challenges.
Karen added: “So many of us – like me - were mesmerised by Rose Ayling-Ellis’ performance on Strictly last year and its work to showcase the fascinating language of my Deaf community. Searches for sign language surged by 488% during her time on the competition.
“This Deaf Awareness Week is a vital opportunity to capitalise on that desire to learn sign language, and we’re proud to partner on creating Bright BSL to unlock our lessons for all.”
Endre Olsvik Elvestad, founder of SignLab, said: “Learning BSL can be an important way of fostering inclusion between Deaf and hearing communities, but BSL classes remain expensive and hard to access for the majority of people.
“This Deaf Awareness Week, Bright BSL wants to change that, by opening up our fun and engaging sign language lessons to everyone, for free.”
Bright BSL is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact Endre Olsvik Elvestad at SignLab
endre@signlab.co
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Learn your first few signs in less than 30 seconds and test the app by visiting
app.brightbsl.co.uk
Bright BSL launched in March 2022 and offers interactive quizzes to test users’ knowledge of basic British Sign Language vocabulary. Its owned by Kent-based Deaf course providers B.S.L Training and international start-up SignLab.
Deaf Awareness Week runs from Monday 2 May to Sunday 8 May and is supported by organisations such as the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) and sign language qualifications body Signature.
After this week users can continue their learning with a monthly (£12.99 per month) or yearly subscription (£112.99). The first 17 lessons will remain free for all to access at any time, along with the Practice and Sign Bank features.
www.bsltraining.org.uk
www.brightbsl.co.uk
www.signlab.co