For the first time a University of Otago residential college has run a New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) course.
About 20 students and staff at UniCol recently finished the six-week course.
UniCol resident tutor Dylan Davies came up with the idea to run the course.
"I previously completed a sign language course at the University of Canterbury and saw that my tutor was coming to Otago and thought it would be something the students would enjoy.''
Mr Davies said all 20 spaces booked out on the first day the course was publicised.
He said he had even seen students doing a bit of practice between sessions.
Student Mohammad Faryabi said he did the course as he had never signed before and thought it would be a good skill to learn.
"I enjoyed learning how much common sense was involved with signing ... I have plans to learn more in the future.''
University of Otago sign language teacher Josje Lelijveld taught the course.
Mrs Lelijveld is deaf and has taught sign language for about 25 years.
She said even though she could not hear, sign language allowed her to have lengthy conversations with people.
Mrs Lelijveld said like any other language, it could not be learnt in six weeks but the course allowed students to establish a base understanding.
"You never know where you might meet someone who is deaf. If you have an awareness of sign language it makes it easier to understand each other.''
Mr Davies sad he planned to organise more classes in the future, as he wanted to encourage students to learn what was, along with te reo Maori and English, one of New Zealand's official languages.
He also planned to organise a back-to-basics te reo Maori course.
ELLA.STOKES @thestar.co.nz
