For many deaf and hard of hearing people, English is a second language. Depending on individual circumstances, such as family and educational background, there is huge variation in amount of exposure deaf people have had to the English language. As a result, deaf people vary widely in their command English.
The Signature Level 3 Award in Modifying Written English Texts for Deaf People is designed to give you the skills to support deaf people with accessing written English materials. The course will give you the skills to evaluate a particular deaf person’s language needs and respond to it by modifying a spoken or written English text appropriately.
The course will focus on two key areas. Firstly, it will focus on the technical skills required in the modification of written texts for deaf people, taking into consideration a variety of factors relating to the context. Topics include: contexts and issues in modifying texts, techniques of language modification and checking and evaluating modified texts.
Secondly, it will focus on the theoretical aspects of modification, including linguistic factors, issues pertaining to the accessibility of spoken texts and issues pertaining to the accessibility of written texts. Topics include: concepts and structures for describing and analysing English, ways of making spoken English more accessible to deaf people and ways of making written English more accessible to deaf people.
Assessments
There are three assessments in total: a 1 hour written examination, a 1 hour 45 minutes written examination and a portfolio of evidence. Evidence for the portfolio will be collected throughout the course and the two written examinations will take place at the end of the course.
Exams will take place during normal classroom hours so it is essential that you make yourself available for the exam. We understand that life can happen so if you know you won’t be able to make the exam date then please let your teacher know as soon as possible. Additional fees may apply if you cannot do the exam on the allocated day and time.
In order to achieve the full qualification, you must successfully complete all three exams.
Entry Requirements
Excellent written English language skills (minimum GCSE English grade C equivalent)
Level 1 BSL
Preference will be given to candidates who hold a university degree.
Progression
Learners who complete this qualification will benefit from additional skills in language modification to support their role in learning support, communication support, accessibility services etc.
