Students at a college in Dorset celebrated deaf people and communities in a special event to mark Deaf Awareness Week.

Weymouth College students hosted the event during the week, held this year from May 6 to May 12, that aims to raise awareness about the deaf community, its language, culture and history.

The week-long event provides an opportunity to support the deaf community and learn about their experiences, whilst celebrating deaf identity and advocating for equal access to communication for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The reception area of the college was bursting with interactive games and activities organised by students, as well as exhibitors, videos and special guest, Elmo the hearing dog.

Dorset Echo: Visitors were able to relax within a demonstration lounge set up to represent a typical life and surroundings of a deaf person, take on a lip-reading challenge, gain insight and advice from health professionals. Guests were also treated to a unique display by students who were performing a combination of song and sign.

A spokesperson for Weymouth College said: “Here at Weymouth College, we’re very proud of our popular part-time courses in British Sign Language (BSL) taught by fully qualified staff, designed to teach learners to communicate on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language for all abilities at Level 1 and 2 qualifications.

“Our thanks to all involved in organising such an engaging, memorable event and to those who came along and took part. We hope you had as much fun as we did.”

You can find out more about BSL courses at Weymouth College here: www.weymouth.ac.uk/subjects/professional-courses/?level=adults