Stormont sign language interpreter Kristina Sinclair encourages others to learn British Sign Language (BSL)

​Kristina Sinclair, 40, became a daily fixture in our lives during the Covid-19 pandemic when she appeared on our TV screens signing for the daily Stormont briefings.

The mum-of-three, who signs regularly for ministers in Stormont, is using this Sign Language Week run by the British Deaf Association to highlight the importance of BSL and their #TimeToSign campaign.

Around 151,000 people in the UK use BSL and of these 87,000 are deaf. In Northern Ireland there are 4,500 BSL users with a further 1,500 using Irish Sign Language.

Kristina, who is originally from Ballycastle, but lives in Belfast, said her choice of career has immersed her in a community she loves and for which she is a leading advocate. But as much as she is passionate about improving quality of life and opportunities for deaf people in Northern Ireland, she insists it is they who have done so much for her.

“Most people have a very patronising and sympathetic view towards the deaf community but since I became involved they’ve done way more for me than I have ‘helped’ them,” she says.

“I’ve travelled, got a great career, amazing community and friends, widened my circle and even got a husband!”

Her husband is Anthony Sinclair who runs the Belfast based BSL school Sign Source and who has been profoundly deaf from birth. As a couple they campaign tirelessly for the rights of deaf people and in particular for the benefits of making BSL easy and accessible for everyone to learn.

Their children Patrick (9), Charlie (7) and Kate (5) sign fluently and are showing people of all ages just how easy it is with their enthusiastic conversations captured on camera and posted online by their parents.

The Sign Source Facebook page is itself a force to be reckoned with, followed by 82,000 people and a showcase for BSL.

BSL is the second most used language in the UK after English and Kristina feels that to create a truly inclusive society children should be taught to sign in primary school.

“From the minute our children were born Anthony signed to them so they have been exposed to both languages from day one,” she says.

“I am really proud how they can communicate with deaf people and they have a really positive attitude towards the deaf community. In their mind there is no difference whatsoever between deaf and hearing people. Kids love signing, not least because they can have secret chats without many adults being able to interpret what they are saying. Most importantly, it opens up new possibilities, friendships, and experiences.

“In early years, rapid brain development makes children more aware and more open-minded so why on earth doesn’t our government introduce it to the curriculum?”

Kristina was in her late teens before she became aware of the deaf community. She became bi-lingual after meeting a deaf family as part of a volunteering opportunity at university in Belfast where she was studying for a degree in English Literature. She explains how she realised very quickly that her future lay in learning to sign.

“I met the loveliest deaf family, people who were great craic and I remember thinking ‘why can’t I sign, they will never be able to hear but I could learn to speak to them’. I was 19 and had no idea what career I wanted and I just saw these lovely people and decided to learn BSL and found that I loved the language.

“I then went to a deaf event where I saw a man interpreting and I realised that was going to be my aim, to finish my degree and study BSL to become an interpreter.”

Kristina studied BSL in England to the highest level and then completed a post graduate diploma in interpreting. It is a career which has not only taken her across the world but given her a privileged glimpse into many precious moments in peoples’ lives.

“It is so varied and so interesting and you get to meet so many different people from different areas. One day I could be at a child birth and the next at a death bed. The deaf community really are the most vibrant, wonderful people who don’t need pity, they just need sign language.”

Kristina also wants to see deaf people get better access to essential services such as medical and social care where communication barriers can still detrimentally affect physical and mental health.

She says sign language in increasing in popularity with thousands signing up during the pandemic to learn new skills. More organisations are also recognising the value of diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplaces.

Kristina adds: “It is a systemic problem that we all need to help change. We need to shift away from seeing people who are different as less or lacking and challenge peoples’ ideas of what disability is.

“It does not mean less, it’s just different and unfortunately society has not caught onto this and deaf people are being left behind. It is simple things that we take for granted which can be so difficult for deaf people, like stopping to ask for directions or going into a shop to ask for something. Even the everyday chit chat about the weather or in the office or workplace about how we spent the weekend is something which deaf people miss out on and that chatter is so important for our mental health.

“If we could all sign it would make life so much easier for deaf people, it unites people and it is also future proofing for someone who might lose their hearing.

“It is a no brainer and makes so much sense, plus it is a superb second language to learn.”

To find out more about go to www.thisissignsource.com