One way we can achieve this is by providing disabled people the resources they need to enjoy equal access in all aspects of society. Sign language video content is the ideal solution to utilising technology in a way that allows disabled people access to everything from key information, to maps, to instructions, to understanding where they are in relation to an amenity, wherever they are.
Sign Language content is already a necessity for a large portion of the disabled population. The UN estimates that there are roughly 70 million people utilising about 130 different sign languages worldwide. Most of them being deaf, and using their own local language, as sign language is neither generic nor all-encompassing. Thus, it is vital to implement the most appropriate form of sign language content for your region’s audience.
In the UK, BSL is the most popular form of Sign Language. However, if the majority of your facility users are not native signers, (despite your facility being UK-based), then you should rethink which form of Sign Language is most appropriate for your facility.
For instance, if you manage a place of worship such as a Mosque and wish to offer a bespoke sign language video, employing a signer who understands Indo-Pakistani Sign Language may be more appropriate for your audience as opposed to a BSL signer.
As well as public spaces, diversification has also increased in our workplaces. With a welcome rise in disabled people entering the workforce; office environments, conference halls, and reception desks must facilitate both visitors and their employees with sign language interpreters, or at the very least, digital BSL content specifically tailored to that environment, such as bespoke video content that offers information disabled people might otherwise need to receive from a member of staff speaking to them.
In addition to corporate settings, doctors’ offices, museums, entertainment venues, supermarkets, shopping centers, railway stations, bus stations, and sports centres; anywhere public for that matter, are now held to a similar degree of scrutiny – as these areas working in accordance with each other is what it will take to create a truly equal and accessible society.
As social awareness for disability issues increases within some of the world’s largest corporations, the expectation from the public for smaller businesses to follow suit has already followed. This can also be said for the potential rewards that small businesses can reap from becoming accessible to disabled people in their community.
Not only can providing Sign Language content better your brand and diversify your customer pool to include Deaf people, but it also allows you to stand out from competitors, as well as attract non-disabled people who might accompany their Deaf friends. In addition, people who are neurodiverse, such as autistic people, people with Down Syndrome, and people with non-verbal or physical impairments such as Cerebral Palsy.
As an organisation founded by deaf people, Direct Access understands the need for BSL content better than most. That’s why we provide bespoke BSL content so that you can communicate crucial information to deaf people, while also providing non-disabled people with the tools they need to learn the fundamentals of sign language communication.
