British Sign Language for medicine and healthcare course
The generosity of Annual Fund donors enabled nine Green Templeton students to attend an intensive introductory course in British Sign Language (BSL), especially tailored to focus on communication in medical and healthcare settings.
Taught by Richard and Stephanie Walklett from local BSL training centre Sign Together UK in May 2024, the six two-hour classes covered the basics of BSL as well as terminology related to medicine and health. They gave the students – including four medical students alongside research students in medicine and health sciences – valuable skills and confidence for communication with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients, research subjects and other stakeholders who use British Sign Language. For the students, this was both an opportunity to enhance their professional skills, and a way to help make their future work more inclusive and disability-aware.
The course was the idea of Sasha Webb (Clinical Medicine, 2021), who organised the classes. She commented, ‘Richard and Stephanie did a brilliant job of teaching us the basics of the language and grammar, as well as some of the background to BSL and its importance.
‘It was a really valuable opportunity in giving us a focused and intensive course that went from nothing to being able to have small conversations with each other in BSL – and even making up clinical scenarios together to practice our medical BSL vocab! I’m sure this will improve my clinical practice in the future as it has broadened my methods of communication, and I look forward to using what I have learned with BSL speakers.’
The support of the Annual Fund allowed Green Templeton to offer the intensive course – and a few snacks to keep everyone’s energy up – free of charge, so students could benefit whatever their socioeconomic circumstances. Sasha concluded, ‘I am incredibly grateful that Green Templeton gave us the chance to put this course on, and that Sign Together UK ran such a comprehensive and interactive course.’
