‘Sense Sign School’ star Mr Tyrese returns with animated lesson packs

Tyrese Dibba, the 15-year-old star of Sense Sign School who inspired more than 80,000 people to learn British Sign Language (BSL) in lockdown, is to appear in a new animated lesson pack for the charity.

The teen, known to many as Mr Tyrese, received a Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister last year for his work on the project – which was supported by the deafblind organisation.

The £10 a month subscription product has been launched to coincide with Sign Language Week, and sees subscribers mailed flash cards, sign language animations and conversation guide leaflets.

Tyrese said: “I love the idea of continuing my work in animated form, supporting more people to learn BSL.

“Deaf people shouldn’t be excluded. You should be able to chat to everyone, regardless of disability.”

New teachers will also be introduced as part of the project – such as George Cook, an 18-year-old from Birmingham who is deaf, autistic and has CHARGE syndrome.

George, who will be known as “Mr George” in the resources, said: “More people using BSL gives me more independence, because the more people who can help me, the better.”

Topics understood to be explored in the monthly packs include animals, hobbies and the weather.

Richard Kramer, chief executive of Sense, said: “We’re thrilled to have Tyrese and George – and other friends of Sense – support us on this exciting venture which will get more people using BSL, and help raise money for our work supporting people living with complex disabilities.

“Hundreds of thousands of people who are Deaf use BSL as their first language, and if more people are able to use it, we can ensure that less people are excluded.”

More information about Sense Sign School and details of how to sign up can be found on the charity’s website.

Photos: Sense.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.