Miss-Delectable
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Belper mum at hand to help deaf children - Belper Today
Having two deaf children aged under five would faze some people, but one Belper mother chose to use it as an opportunity to help others.
Claire Lightfoot, of George Street, has set up a baby sign language group with friend, Sarah Conellan after taking evening classes to help her talk to her daughters, Tilly, 3, who is moderately deaf, and one-year-old Ava, who is profoundly deaf.
Belpersign, which has been running for around three months, offers families with deaf and hearing children aged up to two and babies the chance to learn some sign language and meet others in the same boat.
Claire, 32, said she set it up because there was nothing similar in the area.
She said: "There's nothing like this around in Belper. I used to travel to Derby to support groups for deaf children and I spoke to a lady who took her children from Chesterfield. I was basically being a bit selfish because I wanted to practice my own sign language."
Claire set up the group, which caters for families with children aged up to around three, with the help of a friend whose son is also deaf.
The weekly session gives parents the opportunity to learn basic sets of words realated to topics including animals, food, and colours, before the children join in with sing and sign.
Claire said the children have picked up the skill very quickly.
She said: "It's not difficult to teach them at all, the younger they start it the better, they just start to pick it up as we go along. They all love doing it because it's fun, and it's nice for the parents who might have children with communication problems to meet other people in the same sitation."
Belpersign runs on Tuesdays between 9.45am and 11.15am at the Fleet Arts Centre in Belper. For more information email claire.belpersign@yahoo.co.uk.
Good on her!
Having two deaf children aged under five would faze some people, but one Belper mother chose to use it as an opportunity to help others.
Claire Lightfoot, of George Street, has set up a baby sign language group with friend, Sarah Conellan after taking evening classes to help her talk to her daughters, Tilly, 3, who is moderately deaf, and one-year-old Ava, who is profoundly deaf.
Belpersign, which has been running for around three months, offers families with deaf and hearing children aged up to two and babies the chance to learn some sign language and meet others in the same boat.
Claire, 32, said she set it up because there was nothing similar in the area.
She said: "There's nothing like this around in Belper. I used to travel to Derby to support groups for deaf children and I spoke to a lady who took her children from Chesterfield. I was basically being a bit selfish because I wanted to practice my own sign language."
Claire set up the group, which caters for families with children aged up to around three, with the help of a friend whose son is also deaf.
The weekly session gives parents the opportunity to learn basic sets of words realated to topics including animals, food, and colours, before the children join in with sing and sign.
Claire said the children have picked up the skill very quickly.
She said: "It's not difficult to teach them at all, the younger they start it the better, they just start to pick it up as we go along. They all love doing it because it's fun, and it's nice for the parents who might have children with communication problems to meet other people in the same sitation."
Belpersign runs on Tuesdays between 9.45am and 11.15am at the Fleet Arts Centre in Belper. For more information email claire.belpersign@yahoo.co.uk.
Good on her!