IN AUGUST, WE introduced you to nine-year-old Quaid Cleland from Dublin, who’s currently lobbying RTÉ to use sign language on the Late Late Toy Show at Christmas so that Deaf children can enjoy it as much as hearing children.
Quaid, who is a hearing child, started his campaign at the age of six, aiming to get the whole country using sign language. This week, he was crowned Young Learner of the Year at the 2014 Signature Annual Awards for his commitment to getting Ireland signing.
The awards are hosted by the UK charity, Signature, which strives to break down barriers of communication between deaf and hearing people. At the prestigious ceremony in Durham Cathedral this week, a mixture of both hearing and deaf people were honoured for their hard work.
On winning the award, the nine-year-old said he was “shocked but so happy”.
I’ll be carrying on with my campaign to reach my goal of encouraging everyone in Ireland to learn sign language, whether hearing or deaf.
Jim Edwards, Signature chief executive described Quaid as “an inspiration to fellow learners and those that are following his campaign”.
You can follow and support Quaid’s campaign through his Facebook page. And if it inspires you to learn, here are a few key phrases to get you started.
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