Interview with Aimee Campbell-Nottage
Magic Hands presenter Aimee Campbell-Nottage is from South London.
It is always better to learn sign language at an early age, so now young children can learn sign language by watching Magic Hands and copying the signs."
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Aimee and I am 19. I am profoundly deaf and come from a deaf family so, needless to say, I have been a BSL user all my life. My hobbies include playing sports, reading magazines and travelling.
How did you become involved in Magic Hands?
My friend and now co-presenter Ashley Kendall asked me to audition for Magic Hands; I gave it a try and auditioned – it was as simple as that! I didn't actually think I did well, that's why I was surprised when I was told that I got through to the next stage.
What have you enjoyed most about working on the show?
I love the Magic Hands team; they are very supportive and fun to be around. I enjoyed learning the poems. I had never been able to get into poetry before this experience but, after Magic Hands, I really miss reading and signing the poems.
What do you think about a programme being shown on CBeebies that is entirely in BSL?
I think it is fantastic because CBeebies is purely children’s programming. It is always better to learn sign language at an early age, so now young children can learn sign language by watching Magic Hands and copying the signs. It is not just for children – I know the children's parents will enjoy the shows too. There are very few programmes that are made in BSL so it is always nice to see more programming using our sign language.
What do you think children will get out of the programme: those who are deaf and those who are hearing?
Magic Hands will be good for hearing children because some of them may not have met any deaf people, and are not aware of BSL, so they will learn something new. They might be interested to learn sign language. I believe that the Magic Hands presenters will be good role models for Deaf children
Why do you think shows such as Magic Hands are important?
Shows such as Magic Hands are important because they raise deaf awareness, and BSL will have more recognition in the UK. This is so very important – that our language is recognised and respected.
What
are you doing next?
I am looking forward to go the Deaflympics in Sofia, Bulgaria this summer and travel around Europe a little.
