A first-year medical student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Joycelyn Boateng Addai, is using her TikTok account to promote sign language and raise awareness about inclusive communication.

 

Joycelyn said she had little knowledge of sign language before university, but her interest grew after taking a class taught by Mr. Richard Adade.

 

“I had seen people sign on television, but I didn’t really pay attention to it until we started sign language lessons. That was when I realised it was something I could actually learn and use,” she said.

 

Her motivation was further strengthened after an experience at a pharmacy, where she encountered a hearing-impaired customer who struggled to communicate.

 

 

“No one could understand what he was saying, and that made me want to learn how to communicate with people like him,” she added.

 

Joycelyn began recording short videos of herself practising sign language and posted them on TikTok.

 

She explained that the initial goal was to store the videos safely, but over time, she saw the value in using the platform to share what she had learned.

 

“I started doing it for fun, but later I realised it could also help others who want to learn,” she said.

 

Though some of her peers initially made fun of her efforts, she said their attitudes changed when they saw her consistency and improvement.

 

“Now even in class, people approach me with questions about sign language,” she said.

 

Joycelyn, who previously studied pharmacy before switching to medicine, says she wants to continue learning sign language beyond the classroom.

 

“I don’t want it to be just a first-year course. I want to study it properly and use it to make a difference,” she said.

 

She hopes her efforts will encourage others to take sign language seriously and see it as an important communication tool.