Dorset Hearing Hands

17/03/2026

Please be advised the college have postponed the start date to 21st April now 👍

21/12/2025

🎄🤟 Deaf Dinner Table Syndrome – Christmas Awareness
The holidays should feel warm and connected… 🎄✨

But for many Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, Christmas dinner becomes the loneliest place. 💔

While everyone laughs and talks, we’re often sitting quietly, pretending we understand —
but we’re completely left out. 😞💭

That’s Deaf Dinner Table Syndrome: not shyness, not quietness — just isolation in a full room. 🫥🍽️

❤️✨ How to make Christmas more inclusive:
• Repeat the convo or joke 😄
• Slow down so we can follow 🤟
• Don’t say “never mind” 🚫
• Ask us what we think 💬
• Keep us in the circle ❤️

A little effort can change our whole holiday. 🎁🤍
Inclusion is free. Accessibility is love.

Be the reason someone feels seen, included, and valued. 🎄💛

17/11/2025

24/09/2025

Hello

It’s International Week of Deaf People 2025 (22–28 September), and the spotlight is on something close to our hearts: Sign Language Rights.

We all know that learning a few words in another language makes people light up. Remember that time you tried to order un café con leche in Spain and the waiter’s face lit up? ☕🤩

That feeling? Deaf people deserve it too.

🤔 Why bother with BSL if I’m not Deaf?
Because it’s the difference between:

A Deaf parent at the school gate being ignored 👎
And being greeted with a simple “Good morning” in BSL 👍


It’s the difference between:

Awkward silence at the office kitchen 👎
And a cheerful “Tea?” signed with a smile 👍

And yes… it’s the difference between looking clueless when you bump into a Deaf person in Tesco 👎…or signing “SORRY” with a laugh 👍 (true story: they’ll probably laugh too).

Think about it:

You wouldn’t travel to Italy and just shout “PIZZA” louder and slower until someone understood. So why do it to Deaf people?
You wouldn’t meet someone from Japan and say, “Sorry, I don’t speak Japanese” and then just stare. You’d try a word or two, right?
You wouldn’t clap a Spaniard on the back and say, “Don’t worry, I’ll just draw you a picture.” (Okay… maybe you would after sangria, but still)


So why not learn a few BSL basics? It’s easier than you think. And it feels brilliant to connect

Learn a few signs right now 😉

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

01/09/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1J8SihC7nG/

17/08/2025

This is a fabulous starter to British Sign Language, providing a good basic knowledge of communication in everything from eating out to the weather. Fun, lively and with good handouts.

Learning BSL is interesting and definitely worth knowing as another language.

During July you can only book a place on a leisure course online. From August you can also book over the phone by calling 01305 764723 Tues, Weds and Thurs. For more information about any of the adult leisure courses call 07518749942.

13/08/2025

12/08/2025

WHAT HEARING PEOPLE STILL DON’T GET
WHAT HEARING PEOPLE STILL DON’T GET
(No Matter How Many BSL Classes They Take)

You passed BSL 101. You learned your ABCs. You can sign “nice to meet you” with a confident smile. Maybe you’ve even posted a TikTok of yourself signing a trending song.
And that’s great. Really. Welcome to the journey.

But here’s the truth that makes a lot of hearing people uncomfortable: It’s not the signs, it’s the space between them.
The pauses. The eye gaze. The emotional weight. The cultural rhythm.
The things you can’t learn from flashcards.

What so many still don’t get is that BSL isn’t just a language. It’s a worldview. It’s a culture. It’s a history carved from oppression, resilience, and community.

And yet?
Every day, we watch hearing people collect signs like souvenirs.
They want the language, but not the culture.
The clout, but not the community.
The followers, but not the fight.

You took a class. We lived the consequences.

We’ve seen interpreters chasing spotlight instead of showing up in solidarity.
We’ve watched influencers perform BSL for likes while Deaf creators are ignored.
We’ve seen hearing “advocates” interrupt Deaf people to explain Deaf issues.
We’ve seen CODAs pushed to the front while Deaf adults are treated like side notes.
We’ve heard “You’re so inspirational” more times than we’ve been listened to.

You want to help? Then listen when we say this:
Learning BSL doesn’t make you an ally. Showing up with humility, accountability, and respect does.

If you’ve ever called yourself “part of the Deaf community” but haven’t asked Deaf people what they need, start there.

If you’re teaching BSL, interpreting, or advocating, look around. Are you amplifying Deaf voices or talking over them?
If you’re creating content in BSL, are you uplifting the culture that made that language possible?

Because allyship isn’t self-declared. It’s demonstrated: over time, in silence, and in action.

Respect the hands. But never forget the people behind them.

Final Quote: “You can memorize our signs, but until you respect our stories, you’ll always miss the meaning.”
~ Bret

This picture symbolizes a TikTok-style vertical frame with a spotlight on a hearing influencer signing, while Deaf creators are left in the dark.