Topics will include:

• Basic linguistic features of BSL;
• Greeting, numbers, times and dates, weather, people and activities;
• Personal introductions;
• Very basic everyday situations, incl. directions, telling the time and date;
• The history and culture of the British Deaf community

 Programme listed is indicative only and may be subject to modification.

Suggested reading to be announced.

The course is designed as a basic introduction to BSL for complete beginners and is not intended to offer a formal qualification in British Sign Language, although once completed participants in the class might progress to other courses offering more formal accreditation.

British Sign Language 1 is taught by Ms Angel Louis.

An experienced BSL teacher, Angel also teaches on the undergraduate programme at Imperial College London.

Angel is also a talented artist who has exhibited her works of art widely.

Courses delivered in-person in a classroom*

This course takes place at our South Kensington Campus and will be classroom taught.

All courses lasting two hours have a 10-minute break in the middle. For one hour courses there is no break.

Covid-19 and Safe Distancing for Classroom-based Courses

Please be aware of covid-19 safe-distancing requirements and adhere to them. We ask if possible that participants on this course take a home swab test (lateral flow test) before joining each session of the class. Swab tests can be ordered free of charge prior to the start of the course from https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or obtained free of charge from many pharmacists.

* In the event of the government or Public Health England requiring further lockdown measures the class will transfer online and any remaining sessions will be taught entirely online.

Rate Categories and Discounts

Standard Rate

• Applicable to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category, respectively.

Internal Rate

• Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
• Individuals enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
• Staff of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Current Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication (CLCC) staff, current CLCC PhD students, Science Communication (Sci Comm) postgraduate students, and students enrolled on an Imperial College 'Language for Science' degree programme should contact eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk before completing the online enrolment form

Associate Rate

• Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes
• Austrian Cultural Forum staff
• City & Guilds College Association members
• Cooperative College Members
• Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
• Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Harrods staff
• Historic Royal Palaces staff
• Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
• Members of the Friends of Imperial College
• Members of the Kennel Club
• Members of the London Zoological Society
• Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
• Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• Natural History Museum staff
• National Health Service (NHS) employees
• Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
• Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
• Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music tutors and other staff
• Royal Geographical Society staff
• Science Museum staff
• Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
• Students (non-Imperial College)
• Teachers and other staff of UK schools
• Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
• Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
• Victoria and Albert Museum staff

Late enrolment

It is possible to enrol on many CLCC Evening Class and Lunchtime Learning programmes after the course has started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language Coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.

Applicable terms & conditions

Please read the Terms and Conditions [pdf] before enrolling on any course.

Web enrolment starts 5 November 2021

Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. Please click on the blue booking link on the relevant course page noting below instructions:

• Our rate categories are explained on the course page and your applicable rate category must be selected on the eStore
• First-time eStore users please create an account by entering an email address and password. These credentials should also be used for future bookings. Imperial College users please note the eStore is not a single-signon College system
• The booking process involves entering payment details after your course choice and applicant details are collected via an in-built questionnnaire
• The following email notifications are sent:

• Questions regarding the content and teaching of your course should be sent to the course tutor, Ms Angel Louis, at a.louis@imperial.ac.uk
• Questions about your enrolment and payment should be sent to the Programme Administrator, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk