What is sign singing?

Deafness is known for being an invisible disability, which can lead to exclusion and loneliness. According to a Human Rights Watch article from 2019, 70 million deaf people across the world use sign language to communicate. Well sign singers take that one step further, by adapting song lyrics into sign language for the deaf and hard of hearing.

In addition to making entertainment more accessible to deaf people and the hard of hearing, this musical activity singing is also a form of artistic expression in its own right. Sign singing can be just as diverse as vocal singing, demonstrating great creativity. There are many different forms, like rap signing, slow signing and hard signing.

How do sign singers translate music? Where does it come from? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

First broadcast: 30/03/2022

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