The NDCS Family Sign Language (FSL) Curriculum

The FSL Curriculum was developed by NDCS in 2005 as part of a project funded by the then Department for Work and Pensions.

Unlike traditional British Sign Language (BSL) courses, which are based around signs for adults, this resource is specifically aimed at families of deaf children who want to use BSL. It teaches the signs and phrases needed for nursery rhymes, stories, playing make-believe games as well as the tools for practical communication about food, sleeping and nappy changing, for example.

I-Sign was a two-year project (Sept '08- Mar '11) funded by the Department for Education which aimed to improve British Sign Language (BSL) provision and status for families with deaf and hearing-impaired children and young people.

NDCS worked with a consortium of leading deaf organisations to deliver the pilot project, in the North West and the South West of England.

These organisations included:

• Action on Hearing Loss
• BDA
• Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education
• Merseyside Society for Deaf People (MSDP)
• Signature (formerly known as CACDP)
• and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).

Each member of the consortium led on different areas of the project.

• 90% of deaf children are born to hearing families. Families who want to communicate using BSL currently have little available to meet their needs.
• Traditional BSL courses are more appropriate to adult life and interactions. Families need to learn signs needed for nursery rhymes, stories, games and child-centred activities.
• Families provide the primary communication with their children. Children learn language best when it is consistently modeled for them in an interactive and meaningful context. Families therefore need to develop appropriate sign language skills to model and interact with their deaf children.
• The communication needs of deaf children using BSL have been overlooked. There is no current national framework for children and families to learn BSL. A lack of suitable family-focus training courses has left too many families struggling to communicate effectively with their deaf children.

I-Sign set out to:

• help families with deaf children who use BSL to learn the skills they need to communicate effectively;
• improve the BSL skills of people working directly with deaf children and their families;
• develop a higher level qualification for communication support workers who assist deaf children in the classroom; and
• increase the availability of BSL teachers, courses and interpreters.

Supporting resources for the FSL Curriculum toolkit:

• www.familysignlanguage.org.uk (please ensure the pop-up blocker on your computer is disabled in order to view this site)
  This interactive family sign language website is the first of its kind in the UK and is a fantastic resources for families who have deaf children aged up to five and who with to use this method of communication, as well as professionals working with families. Free to access, the website features a range of real-life video footage of families using BSL with their children as well as a dictionary function with over 300 signs.
  
• a DVD aimed at both professionals and families of deaf children who wish to learn BSL, which members can order here: Family Sign Language DVD

Family Sign Language courses
We also worked in partnership with MSDP and Exeter Academy to deliver family sign language courses in North West and South West England in 2010. If you are in a family with a deaf child aged 0-5 and would like to register your interest for a course in your area please fill in this short form >

To extend the reach of the FSL resource, NDCS is continuing to run free Training the Trainer for professionals who work with families of deaf children aged 0-5 years old.
Please find out more here >

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