How to write or sign your blog for the Limping Chicken!

Got an idea? Get in touch by email: thelimpingchicken@gmail.com

The Limping Chicken features articles by a range of deaf writers, and we welcome YOUR contributions in English or in BSL!

Since this site was launched in February 2012, we have published writing by over 200 D/deaf writers, many of whom have gone on to write for us again.

You may be a professional writer, someone who writes a blog, or perhaps you’ve never written anything for publication before.

Either way, if we like your idea, we’re ready to help you turn it into a piece published here on the site!

We’re looking for articles that shine a light on deaf experience.

You might have a funny story to tell, a fresh idea, or an opinion you have. It could be a news story, or a tale you’d prefer to tell anonymously for The Secret Deafie column.

Whatever it is, just write a short email telling us roughly what you’d like to say! We can’t promise we’ll say yes, but you will get a reply.

Your story doesn’t have to be written in English. If you’re more comfortable telling your story in BSL, we’d be happy to talk to you on Skype and help you embed a video that will be added to the site with a written transcription!

Signing your article in BSL

So you’re thinking of sending a BSL video to Limping Chicken, but you’re not feeling very confident, or aren’t sure how to do it?

We at Limping Chicken would love to have more articles in BSL. So, we’ve put together a few tips to hopefully encourage you to send one in!

To watch this information in BSL, signed by Jen Dodds, click play below: 

1. The first thing to remember? It’s easy! You probably have the equipment that you need already… maybe you’ve got a laptop with a webcam, or a mobile phone that you can make videos with? That would be perfectly OK. (Or, maybe you’ve got a big, expensive top-notch video camera? Lucky old you!)

2. Don’t worry about your signing. Just be yourself!

3. Likewise, don’t worry about your English skills. We can translate your BSL video into English for you; either a full translation or a summary; we’ll send the English version to you first, so that you can check that you’re happy with it before we use it.

4. If you prefer, you could type your article in English first and then translate yourself to BSL. You can download free autocue software, which might come in handy, unless you have a HUGE and BRILLIANT memory, and can memorise a whole article at once! Personally, I prefer to sign my articles first, then translate them into English, but that’s just me…

5. If you can, try to keep your video short, simple and to the point (we Deaf people are known for going off the point, aren’t we? I’m actually starting to waffle now!). You can also add numerical or text inserts (like in the video above) if you want to break it up, or because it’s easier for you to film in short bursts.

So why not make a video, upload it to YouTube and email the link to us at thelimpingchicken@gmail.com? If you like, you can do a practice video and ask us for feedback or technical support. We’ll help you if we can.

Good luck! You can do it!