Princess Diana Signs British Sign Language

Princess Diana learning how to sign reminds me so much of the days when I was learning sign language too. Kind of nostalgic! Seeing her sign makes me recollect my days at the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde School of Deaf and Applied Studies (DLS-CSB SDEAS) with the purpose of trying to learn their history, study their culture, and eventually make a documentary about them. Those days were memorable. And my first day with them was a culture shock. I felt rather awkward because of getting confused with the signs especially during the first semester—as literally, tons of word signs had to be learned. Learning sign language had been a real challenge to me. But one year in the Deaf community was worth it. I gained many Deaf friends, appreciated as I saw and learned the beauty of sign language, understood their being as a cultural and linguistic minority group. It was four years ago in 2006 when I first enrolled to study sign language under the Filipino Sign Language Learning Program (FSLLP) program. The rest is history. I made a short docu (Breaking the Barrier) and a docu- film feature (Silent Odyssey) related to my experiences with the Deaf. The latter had the participation of Deaf in its making.

To watch her sign, please click below:

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