Stories in the Air (SITA) realised there was a wealth of fascinating real-life stories which would be lost to younger generations if nothing was done to record them. We secured funding from the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) for a 2 year project to collect and film these stories as told by some older members of the Deaf community in the West of Scotland whose ages range from 60 to 95. They have been filmed using their first or preferred language, British Sign Language (BSL) which will be produced onto a DVD. It is the first time SITA has aimed a project at this section of the Deaf community

The DVD Signs of Our Lives will contain a varied selection of signed stories with topics such as Life at School; Growing Up; Employment; Family Life; World War II, etc. These stories are seen from the perspective of Deaf individuals and cover a wide range of emotions. They will provide a valuable insight and a better understanding of the Deaf community, their lives and their part in Scottish history.

We are excited the project is reaching its fruition. The launch of the DVD will be on 24 March 2009 at the Blythswood Suite, Mitchell Library, Glasgow from 17:15-19:15. The DVD will then be automatically distributed free to all mainstream and Deaf Secondary schools in Scotland and will include an Education Pack. This pack aims to encourage pupils to research further into the Deaf community, its language and its culture. It is hoped that the Deaf storytellers will then be invited into these schools.

Any other interested person can request a free DVD from us; send your name, full mailing address and postcode to Lizzieglass1@aol.com and, if you wish, can download the Education Pack from our website. Although the stories are signed only, with no voice-over, there is the option of using subtitles within the DVD.

We hope you will enjoy watching and learning about part of our Scottish society, Deaf People, and share some of their experiences with them.