Miss Ballito promotes Talk Sign

September is Deaf Awareness Month and the launch of the KZN Blind and Deaf Society’s Talk Sign Campaign for 2015.

Ambassadors of the Talk Sign Campaign – Entertainer, Marion Loudon, Fashion Designer, Kathrin Kidger, Lotus FM’s Lloyd Paul, East Coast Radio DJ, Abi Ray and our very own Miss Ballito, Shelley Buckle – are encouraging the public to learn South African Sign Language.

Shelley was also previously Miss Deaf South Africa, was born with partial hearing. She went to mainstream school and communicated through lip reading and speaking.After she entered Miss Deaf SA in 2011, she was introduced to SASL and picked it up quickly. Shelley believes the campaign will bridge an important gap that exists between the deaf and the hearing.

In a prior interview with the Courier Shelley said 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.

“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 Deaf Society will be holding a free Sign Language course at their offices, 23 Ismail C Meer Street (former Lorne Street) in Durban on September 26.

To book contact Sasha Pillay on 031-3094991 or email admin4@blindanddeafsocietykzn.org.za. Registration beings at 9 am and the class runs from 9.30am to 1.00pm.

The only prerequisite is that each attendant purchases a Talk Sign sticker for R10. The three courses held earlier in September were fully subscribed so contact Sasha early to avoid disappointment.