Let sign shine. I am seventeen and have a profoundly deaf eleven year old sister who is unable to talk due to her being deaf as well as having verbal dyspraxia. It has occurred to me over the last couple of months the struggles that my sister will face over her life and particularly as an adult. Due to being unable to speak her only communication method is sign language, leaving her communication very restricted and limited to who can understand her. This leaves me great distress and concern for her future. Even going shopping will become a large task without the ability to talk to a sales assistant or cashier. The simple tasks of life including shopping, going to the doctors and even answering the door become impossible with this communication barrier. Consequently, I have come to realise that not only to help my sister but also those who have similar problems, sign language is needed to be taught in schools. Sign language needs to be taught with the same importance and respect as foreign languages, such as French and German, which are consistently taught in schools. This deaf section of society is isolated and needs to be included and respected. Our society would benefit greatly from sign language being taught in schools, enabling a large group of members of society being able to communicate and be included in the everyday running of society and their lives made much easier. A bond in society would be created, which currently does not exist and so bringing sections in society much closer. Future generations would be able to communicate with the deaf, creating sign language to no longer be unique but rather a way of communicating with ease. It is my desire in life to get sign language taught in schools and I urge all head teachers, governors and all in the education system to get yours and other schools teaching sign language. I urge you all to consider this situation and what it could achieve, if sign was taught in schools, both to those individuals like my sister and society as a whole. Let sign shine and get it taught in schools.