Level 1 BSL success for Manchester Metropolitan University students

Congratulations to our first cohort of BSL Level 1 students from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

All the students passed their exams and gained their accredited Signature Level 1 qualification. The students all started learning BSL through the ‘Rise Intensive’ programme offered by MMU. ‘Rise’ gives students the opportunity to learn extra skills outside of their degree course, for example learning a new language. Manchester Deaf Centre partnered with MMU in 2020 to design a ‘Rise’ course covering Deaf Awareness, Deaf Culture and basic British Sign Language.

The course turned out to be a very popular choice with students. We developed a progression pathway for those who would like to continue learning after completing ‘Rise’. 160 students chose to complete the next level of learning – a 6-week ‘Foundations of BSL’ course with Manchester Deaf Centre. From this group, 16 students then opted to continue to complete their Level 1 qualification, which was delivered over 4 weeks as a ‘summer intensive’ course by our BSL tutor, Jonathan Slack. Jonathan says:

"The students really seemed to have fun and enjoyed learning BSL. Communication with Deaf people is so important and now they are aware that this community has its own language (BSL) and culture. They showed real commitment and enthusiasm for this intensive course and some of them have now joined the Level 2 course at Manchester Deaf Centre."

We are delighted that MMU has now asked us to roll out the programme for a second year. We look forward to welcoming our next cohort of MMU students to their ‘Foundations of BSL’ courses starting in November 2021, and to their accredited BSL Level 1 course in summer 2022.

Interested in learning BSL with Manchester Deaf Centre? Click here to see our upcoming courses: https://www.manchesterdeafcentre.com/services/upcoming-courses-and-training/