Hidden disability workshops support staff and students

Languages lecturer Ugo Marsili is on a mission to help our British Sign Language (BSL) students and staff better understand the needs of those with hidden disabilities – and has been running a series of interactive events to do it.

Ugo, the University’s Language Lead in BSL and a Diversity and Inclusion trainer in the Department of Languages and Cultures, is working to raise awareness of a range of different physical disabilities, including Deafness and Blindness.

As part of this work, he has held numerous events with staff and BSL students, to help them, and other students, better support colleagues or schoolchildren in their future workplaces, or students here at Reading.

Ugo now hopes to help establish an informal student-led BSL Club to allow students studying BSL to advance their learning outside the classroom. This could involve organising more events in future, providing a structured way to network, engaging with the deaf community, and developing their skills with the help of University tutors.

If you can support the club, know students who would be interested in getting involved, or feel your team would benefit from invisible disability awareness training, please get in touch with Ugo.

Events and training

Recent events organised by Ugo include:

• A screening on campus of Name me Lawand, a documentary following a profoundly Deaf boy’s journey from Iraq to the UK. This was attended by more than 50 people including students, interpreters and Deaf teachers. The event gave the students taking a BSL module the opportunity to practise their ‘receptive skills’ and understand the importance of non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, lip patterns and body language, alongside the signing itself.
• Blind awareness events held with the School of the Built Environment. These explored spatial orientation and inclusive environments, including how audio description could be used in new settings and allowed students to provide feedback.
• BSL and Deaf awareness courses to help staff support students with hearing impairment during Welcome Week.
• A workshop with IoE students on supporting children with hidden disabilities in the classroom.
• Deaf awareness training for Fire and Evacuation Officers, First Aiders and other building support colleagues.

Inclusive University community

Daisy Thompson, one of the students who attended the film screening, said: “I am currently in Level 1 of learning BSL and wanted to expand my knowledge further by seeing BSL in action.

“The film was both moving and exciting, and I valued meeting new people who share the same interest for learning about Deaf culture and sign language as I do. Being part of such a kind, supportive and passionate audience was a great experience that I will not forget throughout my time at university.”

Angela Buckingham, Programme Director from the Academic Practice Programme in CQSD, said: “For me, it was powerful to be sitting in the room next to Deaf teachers, students of BSL and others who may have had similar first hand experiences of stigma, struggle and overcoming trauma. Huge thanks to Ugo Marsilli for organising such a thought-provoking and ultimately inspiring event for staff and students to attend.”

Ugo said: “I recognise the importance of enabling accessibility and I am committed to raising awareness and actively working towards building a safer and more inclusive University community.

“To have such support from both students and colleagues was fantastic and hopefully promises some positive developments on the BSL Students Club.” 

Image captions:

Image 1: Audience members at the British Sign Language film night.

Image 2: attendees at the Institute of Education child development module invisible disabilities event.

Image 3: students at the School of the Built Environment Blind awareness event.