Teacher from Leeds goes viral on TikTok for British Sign Language lessons viewed over 100,000 times

A teacher from Leeds has gone viral on TikTok for his enlightening British Sign Language lessons - which have been viewed more than 100,000 times in just one month.
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Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.

Disappointed due to the Covid pandemic putting a halt to his teaching, Peter - from Kippax - set out on finding a new way to reach people with his interactive lessons.

Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
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Despite "not knowing the platform existed" until recently Peter set up his TikTok page in early January, 2022.

Since then, his "Deaf Peter" account has soared, with thousands of people tuning in daily for their latest lesson snippet on a new word or phrase.

Now, Peter said he wanted to continue to raise awareness of the difficulties the pandemic has brought to Deaf people, with mask wearing a particular concern.

His lessons have been viewed more than 100,000 times around the world in just a month and Peter has been contacted from countries in South America and beyond.

Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
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"I wanted to educate people on Deaf awareness and teach them about Deaf Culture", Peter told the YEP.

"TikTok has given me the platform to share this knowledge with others, helping them understand the needs of the Deaf community and giving them skills to use to enable Deaf people to feel more included."

Peter said he was "disappointed" when lockdown was announced as it halted his face to face teaching.

He added: "Teaching via zoom is not very successful so I reached out to people on TikTok.

Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
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"I feel it’s important for people to understand how to communicate with the Deaf community.

"Deafness is a hidden disability and being Deaf and a sign language user is very different to being someone who just can’t hear.

"For people in the deaf community, being Deaf is part of who they are.

"This can be difficult for hearing people to understand because so much of their ability to communicate with one another depends upon their ability to hear.

Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
Peter Bracchi, 56, is a qualified teacher of British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness.
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"It is important that people understand that BSL is a language in its own right, with gramma and syntax, as with any other language, only it is not spoken, it’s visual and must be performed in a specific way which is why I teach it in such detail."

Peter has more than 6,000 dedicated TikTok followers.

He said he was overwhelmed with the support for his new channel.

"I have had so many positive comments about my teaching", Peter said.

"Some have said how much I have helped them with their anxiety and depression, many people tell me how easy I make it for them to understand and learn.

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"Everyone has been so positive and loved my posts, they think I'm funny and say how my teaching style has them feeling like I’m talking directly to them on a one to one.

"I have had so many good comments arising from my videos from all kinds of people.

"Those wanting to learn something new, those who knew a little but wanted to know more, people telling me how much they just enjoy watching and the encouragement they feel they are getting from my teaching style.

"Everyone has said how much they enjoy my videos and look forward to the daily uploads."

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Peter hopes more and more people will join his journey on the channel and learn a bit more about BSL.

"I think the videos have already reached people of many different ages and genders", he said.

"TikTok is still fairly new to a lot of people so I hope I will be able to reach a much wider audience in time by having my videos shared."

"I am doing this to help the Deaf community by raising awareness.

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"I want people to understand the needs of the Deaf community, the barriers we face on a daily basis, the discrimination we have to endure constantly by being denied our rights to be heard.

"If people cannot speak our language and understand our needs how are we able to fit into society.

"A simple sign like “thank you” or acknowledgement that I am Deaf and need to lipread in order to understand someone is just common courtesy.

"The pandemic has had a detrimental affect on the Deaf community, mask wearing has put up a further barrier on top of those we already faced.

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"The loneliness people have suffered has affected many peoples mental health.

"I'm grateful that I’m able to help people through hard times and feel overwhelmed at all the lovely comments, likes and shares on my TikTok."

To view Peter's TikTok page, click here.Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.

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