Many companies think they need to invest in British Sign Language (BSL) training for their staff, in order for them to be able to communicate with deaf clients, but this may not be the case – basic Deaf Awareness may be sufficient. The difference between BSL and Deaf Awareness training is outlined below.

British Sign Language is language deaf people use to communicate. It incorporates hand gestures and face expressions and it is an important part of Deaf cultural life. This is their language of everyday communication. If staff communicate with deaf people on a regular basis, then BSL tuition would be appropriate.

BSL training for staff who only meet deaf people occasionally is often a waste of time and money, as, without regular use, language skills will be forgotten. This can be embarrassing and may actually put staff off approaching deaf people. In this situation, training in Deaf Awareness, rather than BSL, would be more effective.

Deaf Awareness courses focus on giving staff an awareness of communication tactics for use with deaf, hard of hearing, deafened, deafblind people, as well as offering an insight into deaf culture, history, deaf issues, technical aids, lip reading and other topics. For those that do NOT encounter deaf people everyday, this type of training would be more suitable.

A simple chart below shows this clearly.