A petition calling for all UK schools to teach basic sign language has been signed by nearly 100,000 people.

Jade Kilduff, 18, launched the campaign around a month ago after seeing how sign language had transformed her younger brother’s life. Jade’s brother Christian who is aged 4 has brain damage and cerebral palsy, and his family were told that he would never be able to communicate.

sign language

Sign language opened up ‘a whole new world’ for Christian

Over the past two years, Jade has been teaching Christian sign language but states that Christian can still only communicate with a few family members due to the lack of people who know sign language.

“Christian communicates by using sign language and a lot of people when talking to Christian would have to talk through me,” Jade told Sky News.

” I thought it was unfair that he could only communicate to me and a few of our family members and I thought if everybody just knew a little bit of sign then it would make the world more inclusive.”

Petition to teach basic signing at all schools

Jade’s story highlights how children and adults of any age who use sign language can feel isolated when living in a society where knowing how to sign is a rarity.

The petition, which has nearly 100,000 signatures, proposes that basic sign language is taught to children on a weekly basis, simply through activities such as ‘sign of the day/week’ which wouldn’t take up much time or money if done during assembly time.

Jade’s final words: “If all children were taught sign language at school, it would make the world a less lonely place for people like my brother.”

For more information about the petition, please visit: https://www.change.org/p/uk-goverment-make-it-compulsory-for-all-schools-early-years-to-teach-basic-signing-of-some-form-f6205a9d-06cf-4a0a-9d20-8d34daa873d3

This story was originally reported by Sky News.

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