The next blog in our communicate and Connect project by the Speech & Language Therapy students from the University of Manchester is written by Sophie. This project was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. W e endeavour to co-produce as much as possible in the project and the logo for communicate and connect was designed by DISC student Izzy. Sophie was interested in our use of games as a means of teaching signing skills.
As a student on placement observing Total Communication Signalong workshops,
I have learned a great deal about the importance of interactive games. For any group - whether service users, support staff or parents, these games have a real impact on creating a creative and uplifting space for people to learn.
When supporting service users, Total Communication ensures activities are designed to reflect the types of games played in day centres, homes and social settings. Using recognisable formats such as matching games, turn-taking activities or movement-based tasks helps people feel comfortable and confident. I have definitely noticed that when a service user recognises the structure of a game, they are far more likely to engage and enjoy the learning experience, rather than seeing it as a chore.
Total Communication sessions include a balance of fine motor skills, such as picking up cards or matching symbols, and larger motor movements, including throwing, reaching or moving around the room. This inclusive approach ensures there is a game for everyone, regardless of skill level. I also consistently see games being adapted or simplified to ensure person-centred practice at all times.
Most importantly, throughout my placement I have observed continuous co-production. Resources are never created in isolation; they are co-produced with support workers, people with learning disabilities and self-advocates to ensure they are enjoyable, relevant and accessible. This active desire for feedback helps ensure the games reflect the real experiences of the people who use them, rather than assumptions made by others.
Interactive games are just as valuable when training staff. After speaking to support workers during training sessions, many shared how positive and refreshing the experience felt. They explained that the training was not textbook-heavy like much of the training they attend, but instead practical, engaging and enjoyable. This hands-on approach is important, as it gives staff first-hand experience of the games they can then take back to their own settings. Having played the games themselves gives staff the confidence to adapt activities and introduce them to others, ensuring Signalong is shared and used beyond the training room.
Speech and Language Therapy student Hana describes her experience of being involved in training, in our Communicate and Connect project.
The Importance of training
by Hana Parveen
Who I Am and How I Discovered Signalong
As a University of Manchester student currently completing my first-year placement, I have been fortunate to experience a wide range of learning opportunities. One of the most meaningful discoveries during this time has been Signalong and seeing first-hand how effective staff training can embed inclusive communication into everyday practice.
This is the first time I was introduced to Signalong which is a communication system designed to support individuals with learning disabilities and additional communication needs. Signalong combines key word signing alongside speech and can be used as part of a total communication approach incorporating symbols, pictures, and other visual supports. These tools work together to help individuals better understand others and express themselves, promoting confidence, independence, and meaningful interaction and enabling them to connect more meaningfully with others.
Experiencing the Training Sessions
Throughout my placement, I had the opportunity to observe two Signalong training sessions. These sessions were provided by therapists and self-advocates from Total Communication Services CIC as part of their project Communicate and Connect. The project was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and it supported the team to find more ways of enabling people with learning disabilities to connect via communication.
I was able to help deliver a segment of the training myself when helping out with the interactive games. Being involved in the sessions provided valuable insight into how structured training supports staff learning and encourages the consistent use of signing within everyday support. It was an amazing chance to get real hands on experience about what happens behind the scenes.
Interactive and Engaging Learning
The training sessions were highly interactive and enjoyable, which played a key role in their success. Staff took part in a range of games adapted to include signing, such as memory pairs, beer pong, and other activities.
These games encouraged repetition, teamwork, and confidence-building in a relaxed environment, allowing staff to practise signing without fear of making mistakes.
One particularly impressive outcome of the training was the number of signs staff were able to learn. By keeping a tally throughout the sessions, it became clear that staff collectively learned up to 250 new signs. This highlighted the effectiveness of the training approach and demonstrated how quickly skills can develop when learning is practical and engaging.
The Importance of Embedding Signalong in Practice
Discussions with support staff further emphasised the importance of embedding Signalong into everyday practice. Many staff members shared that, prior to the training, they had not considered keeping records of their service users' communication abilities such as the communicative stage they were at, or which symbols, pictures, or words they were able to recognise. The training encouraged reflection and highlighted the importance of understanding and documenting these details to provide consistent, person-centred support.
Impact on Service Users
Embedding Signalong into daily interactions allows staff to meet individuals at their communicative level. For people with communication needs, being understood can have a profound impact on wellbeing, independence, and inclusion. Signalong helps reduce communication barriers and ensures individuals are given a stronger voice in their everyday lives.
Staff Feedback and Confidence
Feedback from the training sessions demonstrated clear positive outcomes. Staff confidence ratings were significantly higher after the training than before, with many participants reporting that they felt more capable and motivated to use signing regularly. This increase in confidence is essential for ensuring Signalong is used consistently rather than being forgotten over time.
Concluding thoughts
Overall, my experience with Total Communication Services CIC training during my placement has been extremely rewarding.
It has highlighted the importance of staff training not only in developing skills, but in embedding inclusive communication approaches that genuinely improve the quality of support. Being involved in this process and seeing co-delivery in action has been a highlight of my placement and has strengthened my interest in accessible, person-centred practice.
On 18th October 2025 we held our second music event, Communication Nation at Ramsbottom Civic Hall. The event was organised with self-advocates from Bury People First and with a huge amount of good will from local musicians, who gave up their time and equipment for us to use. There is a culture of live music in our local town Bury, and we decided to invite 3 local bands to help us. Heston-Machine is an amalgamation of two local bands Cellar Machine and Heston, to form a new act performing for us as the headline act.
Thanks especially to Chris Jacques who managed to cajole persuade and encourage a range of friends to play, and to loan us equipment for the night. We also need thank Duffy for the loan of the equipment; he is also the drummer for Heston-Machine. We would not have been able to pull of an event like this without them all.
The first band to perform were Vaguely Sane with a powerful female lead vocalist and some great covers with hits from Blondie and Kim Wilde. We really enjoyed their set and we are hoping they put on more local gigs in the future.
Second up were members of Sad Sells, frontman Xavier Jaques and his brother and co-writer Zachary with most of the band. This year they played an acoustic set, showcasing their original material. Beautiful vocals and harmonies were accompanied by guitar which was provided change in pace and intensity for the evening. Sad Sells have just released an album ‘A Week of Sundays’ which is available from Picadilly records.
Headlining the evening were Heston-Machine covering a range of rock and indie numbers. This year we joined them to sign to Automatic’s song, 'Monster'. It gave us the opportunity to teach the audience some signing skills. It also provided an opportunity for Jon from Bury People First to try out his Hallowe’en outfit. He very much looked the part!
We were delighted when a few weeks later, frontman Pat Gracey was performing Monster at a different event, complete with signs! The picture below shows Pat after his performance, collecting his raffle prize at Communication Nation.
Feedback from the self-advocates about the event:
In early November we had a reflective discussion on the event with the self-advocates, exploring what went well and what we would like to improve on for next year. The bands have agreed they would like another event next year and we are delighted they would like to return.
Comments from Bury People First:
What did you think of Communication Nation?
Sarah: Amazing, brilliant, outstanding bands. Loved working with Michelle, she helped me with the raffle.
Matthew- Absolutely love it, love the music and the signing.
Liam: I felt independent that night and they were good bands. Jayne who took photos with me was superb.
Steven: It was really good, Loved people joining in the signing.
John and Chris from Gateway: It was amazing.
Comment from Brian Burke from CQC:
‘I liked the bands, it was brilliant, such a nice atmosphere it felt really inclusive’.
Suggestions for improvements:
We realised we needed to be more organised with the football card, some group members wanted more hot food, Brian said it was a shame the films were shown in the back room. We would like to find a way of showing them in the front next year.
The campaign:
Behind the fun is a serious message which we hoped our event began to raise awareness of. Our focus has been to campaign for people to have the same communication rights, hence the title ‘communication nation’ which is an aspiration. The campaign initially began with work on a communication rights charter throughout lockdown and we took the charter to Parliament in 2022. The charter descries rights many of us take for granted. For people who do not use speech to communicate, and for people reliant on staff to interpret their communication, skilled communication partners are an essential.
As mentioned earlier in the report many staff do not have access to training and there is no clear mechanism for checking the quality of communication support for vulnerable people. This can have serious consequences. For example LeDer 2022 report found that 42% of the deaths of people with learning disabilities were avoidable. (LeDer stands for Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people. It's an NHS program that reviews the deaths of people with learning disabilities and autistic people).
The campaign group has also partnered up with self- advocates from Gateway which is a mental health hospital.
Making links with the hospital is important and including their voices is imperative. At the end of October 2023, there were 2,035 people with a learning disability or autism in hospitals in England. Over half of these people had been there for over two years in total. Many people are not discharged when they are well enough to leave. Our group includes some of those people as we want their voices to be heard too. Work has been on -going ever since the trip to Parliament and the group have refined their ideas and would like to meet with MP’s and with the Care Quality commission to discuss them further.
Funding:
The gig raised a total of £2400.09 which is a fantastic total and we are very grateful to the bands and all our friends for their help. Our plans are to develop some short training films about good practice in communication which support staff can access. We hope with Brian’s help we can continue to work with the Care Quality Commission and to develop our role in checking the quality of good communication support. This way more people will be heard, no matter how they communicate.
Here's the QR code which links
to our petition about the
communication rights charter.
