Give me a sign

Friday, March 14 is Talk Sign Day and people across KZN are urged to buy stickers to support the initiative.
The Talk Sign campaign was officially launched in the province in an effort to raise awareness about South African Sign Language (SASL).
Miss Ballito 2013 Shelley Buckle, who was born deaf, is a proud ambassador of the campaign.
“Talk Sign approached me and asked if I would like to be an ambassador. Naturally I jumped on board as this is something I definitely want to be involved with, being deaf,” she said.
Although she has partial hearing, Shelley went to mainstream school and communicated through lip reading and speaking. She believes the campaign will bridge an important gap that exists between the deaf and the hearing.
“Deaf people struggle on a daily basis because of not being able to communicate with the hearing. I think if hearing people took the time to learn Sign Language, it would break the barrier,” she said.
After she entered Miss Deaf SA in 2011, she was introduced to SASL and picked it up quickly. She encourages others to do the same.
“Check out www.talksign.co.za for how to learn some of the Sign Language basics. From there, contact them and attend a course. It is that easy,” she said.
The campaign’s main goal is a big one.
“It is an ongoing process but we are aiming to make Sign Language the 12th official language in South Africa. I will be promoting Talk Sign as much as possible and helping to sell Talk Sign stickers which will in turn raise funds for the project.”
Talk Sign stickers are on sale for R10 each and the proceeds will be used to educate the deaf and eventually help them find employment.
You can order stickers or organise a presentation at your school or work place. Contact Ellisha on 031-3094991 or email ellisha@talksign.co.za. SMS ‘Talk Sign’ and your city to 36931 at a cost of R5.
All profits will be donated to the Talk Sign campaign. You can find more information at www.talksign.co.za.