Got a hot flush? Now there's sign language for that! First ever BSL guide for ... trends now
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Sign language resources now exists for the menopause thanks to a game-changing new initiative.
Until now, there was no universally agreed guidance to translate terms such as hot flushes for deaf women.
This is despite 190,000 deaf Brits – half of which being women – using British Sign Language (BSL) to communicate.
Deaf women going through the menopause were therefore left to struggle through the change with little help or support, the creators of the new BSL glossary say.
Until now, there was no universally agreed guidance to translate terms such as hot flushes for deaf women. This is despite 190,000 deaf Brits – half of which being women – using British Sign Language (BSL) to communicate. A women signs anxiety, a common complaint of women going through the menopause
The scheme was created by Holland & Barrett, alongside deaf charity BID Services and a health clinic, My Menopause Centre.
It comes after surveys showed 60 per cent of deaf women don’t have access to menopause information in BSL.
Ninety per cent are unaware about treatment options.
Information online, until now, only included secondary interpreted content, minus explainers of signs and terms associated with ‘the change’, which usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.
All of the BSL glossary, including a suite of advice videos, are now available on Holland & Barrett’s website.
Debbie Lang, of BID Services, said: ‘Many women told us that when they were given medical leaflets and websites to look at, they reported difficulty in understanding them.
