Carol singing and signing raises money for charity

Our speech and language therapy students have been practising their sign language skills by singing and signing Christmas carols to raise money for charity.

More than 40 MSc Speech and Language Therapy students gathered at our Colchester Campus to entertain staff and students - and raise money for Dementia Adventure - by singing festive songs and signing them using Makaton, a simpler version of British Sign Language.

“Communicating is about so much more than speech,” explained Sally Austin, Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy in our School of Health and Social Care, who also took part. “Our students are taught various modes of communication, including sign language, to give them a toolkit for working with people with a range of communication difficulties in their future careers.”

Makaton comprises a set of signs from British Sign Language and is used by over 100,000 children and adults in the UK, including those with communication difficulties that make speech hard, their families, and professionals including healthcare and childcare staff. 

Speech and language therapists work with people of all ages with various types of communication difficulty. They help people express themselves and understand others, teaching them methods including speech, signs, symbols, communication aids, gestures and body language.