Detailed Description

About the Course

This course will enable you to feel confident having conversations in BSL. Expand your conversational skills with vocabulary linked to work, shopping, transport and more. Further develop the skills you learnt on your introduction to BSL course and continue your professional development.

Course Facilitator 

Amanda Smith is a Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) user, with experience teaching BSL for twenty two years, eighteen of which have been at York St John University.  

As an Associate Professor at York St John, she teaches on all levels of British Sign Language modules, facilitating learning for students who may never have signed a word to those who have some fluency in BSL. Including aspects of the deaf lived experience into teaching, to help raise awareness of deaf people as a cultural as well as linguistic minority. 

In 2011, she was awarded National Teacher of the Year by Signature and, in 2012, York Adult Tutor of the Year by City of York Council’s “York 800”. In 2019 she was nominated for the ‘inspirational teaching’ and ‘most supportive staff member’ of the year awards by York St John Students' Union.