A Deaf-led creative studio

Visual Communication
is an Art.

Sign language teaches what performers spend years learning: how to move with intention, express nuance, command presence without sound, tell stories in three dimensions.

Led by Chafic Kolaylat, a Deaf Art Director. Theater. Performance.

Visual Sign is a Deaf-led creative studio where actors become better performers, speakers command more presence, teachers reach every student, and anyone developing visual expression learns from Deaf artists who have mastered it.

Chafic Kolaylat, Deaf Art Director, seated on a director's chair under stage lights
PRESENCE
NUANCE
STORYTELLING
DEAF-LED
PERFORMANCE
EXPRESSION
PRESENCE
NUANCE
STORYTELLING
DEAF-LED
PERFORMANCE
EXPRESSION

BUILT FOR CREATIVES.

If you work with your body, your voice, your presence, or your expression professionally—you're in the right place.

For Performers

Actors. Dancers. Directors. Drama students.

Learn spatial storytelling, facial precision, and character physicality from a language built entirely on visual expression.

Weekend intensives and evening courses. Theater-based.

For Speakers & Leaders

Trainers, presenters, corporate leaders.

Learn to command a room without volume. Presence. Gesture. Clarity. The visual skills most people never get trained on.

Evening workshop or half-day intensive.

For Educators

Teachers, school administrators, university faculty.

Make your classroom visual. Reach students who don't respond to voice alone. A curriculum that differentiates.

Professional development day or ongoing coaching.

For Care Professionals

Psychologists, therapists, doctors, nurses, social workers.

Communicate with Deaf patients. Understand Deaf lived experience. Train your team.

6-week evening course.

For Parents

Hearing parents of babies and toddlers.

Communicate with your child six months before speech arrives. Visual connection. Fewer tears. Access to a whole community.

6-week evening cohort.

Not sure which one is yours?

Neither was the actor who signed up to move better and left running a workshop for nurses.

zzz
this one read them all

How it starts

Three steps in, and you're on stage.

01

Pick your track

Start at SL 101 for foundations, or jump straight into an Applied Sign workshop built for your profession.

02

Join a cohort

Live sessions in the theater or online. Small groups. Taught by Deaf instructors from the first minute.

03

Enter the Creator Lab

At SL 301+ you train with Deaf directors and become a paid presenter in IN SIGN.

Our workshops

Five Levels. One Path.
From Foundations to Professional.

SL 301+ students enter the Creator Lab and get paid work.

SL 101

Sign Language Foundations

Your entry point. Alphabet, basic vocabulary, first conversations, Deaf culture introduction.

$50 / $120–150
Enroll in SL 101

SL 102

Everyday Conversation

Move beyond basics. Speed. Natural flow. How real conversations happen. Storytelling foundations.

$130
Learn More

SL 201

Fluency & Deaf Culture

Deep dive into grammar, history, and community. What sign language is, where it comes from, how to be respectful in Deaf spaces. This is where you move beyond vocabulary.

$150
Learn More

SL 202

Storytelling & Visual Expression

This is where art begins. Learn how Deaf performers tell stories. Narrative. Visual vernacular. Character and expression. How sign language creates meaning through story, not just vocabulary.

$180
Learn More

SL 301

Advanced Performance

Masterclass. For serious artists only. Body work. Characterization. Nuance. Physical detail. This is professional actor training, using sign language as the discipline.

$250
Request Invitation

Small cohorts (8–12)

SL 401

Presentation & Collaborative Content Creation

The capstone. For artists ready to create. Public speaking. Camera presence. Scriptwriting. Collaboration. On completion, graduates enter the Creator Lab and become paid presenters in IN SIGN.

$250
Request Invitation

Small cohorts (6–10)

APPLIED SIGN WORKSHOPS

Specialized tracks for specific professions.

AS · STAGE

Sign for Performers

For actors, dancers, physical theater, mime, directors, drama students. Master spatial storytelling and facial precision from Deaf performers. Weekend intensives or evening courses.

$150–200 per intensive

Enroll

AS · SPEAK

Sign for Speakers

For trainers, presenters, corporate leaders, public speakers. Command a room without volume. Presence and gesture. Evening workshop or half-day intensive.

Custom quote

Request Details

AS · CLASS

Sign for Teachers

For educators, school staff, university faculty. Make your classroom visual and inclusive. Professional development day or ongoing coaching.

Custom quote (starts $200/person for groups)

Request Details

AS · CARE

Sign for Care Workers

For psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, nurses, doctors, social workers. Communicate with Deaf patients. Understand Deaf patient experience. 6-week evening course.

$140

Enroll

AS · HOME

Baby Sign for Parents

For hearing parents of babies and toddlers (6–24 months). Communicate with your baby before speech. Reduce frustration. Earlier connection. 6-week evening cohort.

$130

Enroll in Next Cohort

IN SIGN: KNOWLEDGE CHANNEL IN LEBANESE SIGN LANGUAGE

Lebanon's First.
Created by Deaf Artists.
For Everyone.

What is IN SIGN?

Professional knowledge content in Lebanese Sign Language. Psychology. Health. Rights. Law. Culture. Created and presented by Deaf artists and performers trained at Visual Sign.

Why it matters.

Deaf people in Lebanon have no way to access most information in their language. Health, mental health, legal rights, government information—none of it exists in sign language. IN SIGN changes that by creating what doesn't exist and paying Deaf artists to make it.

When it launches.

January 2027. IN SIGN launches when we have trained SL 300+ presenters. We do not rush content. Everything is production-quality.

VIDEO STILL:
IN SIGN PRESENTER

First Series

Psychology & Mental Health

Why? Depression, anxiety, trauma, healing—Deaf Lebanese have lived through the same crises as everyone else with almost no mental health resources in their language.

How? Expert clinicians consult. Deaf creators research and script. Deaf performers present. Professionally produced.

Meet the crew

Twelve hands. One language.

Hover them. They're not shy.

FOR SCHOOLS

Make your school visibly inclusive.

What we offer:

Term-Long Student Programs

Adapted by age (primary through secondary). Students learn a real language. Your school gets a curriculum that differentiates in your prospectus.

Teacher Professional Development

A full day with your teaching staff on inclusive visual communication and classroom techniques that reach all learners.

Assembly Performance + Workshop

Decibel Studio produces a Deaf-led theater piece. Performed at your school for the entire student body. Followed by hands-on workshop. Students remember this.

Why schools choose us:

  • ✓Taught by Deaf professionals (not a hearing company adapting a service)
  • ✓Professional production quality (a theater company, not a program)
  • ✓Visible to parents (shows up in your prospectus, your calendar, your brand)
  • ✓Real language learning (not an awareness session)
Request Program Outline

FOR COMPANIES & NGOS

Train Your Team in Visual Communication.

What we offer:

Half-Day Accessibility & Communication Training

For customer-facing and front-line staff. Practical basics. What to do when you don't know something. Real skills your team can use immediately.

Leadership & Internal Communications Workshop

For management and HR teams. What accessibility means beyond compliance. How visual communication affects your workplace culture.

Annual Partnership

Ongoing training. Access to Decibel's Empower department (Deaf hiring pipeline). Co-branded awareness campaigns produced by our Production team. Real, documented impact.

Why companies choose us:

  • ✓Led by a Deaf art director (not a training company that added accessibility)
  • ✓Real expertise (Decibel has production credits and institutional credibility)
  • ✓Your fees fund Deaf employment (you're not just training—you're supporting a community)
  • ✓ESG & CSR reporting with actual numbers
Book a Consultation

Start where you are.

Beginner, performer, teacher, parent, or organization — every path starts with one conversation.

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