A powerful new campaign, ‘No BSL, No Vote’ (#NoBSLNoVote), has launched to ensure that British Sign Language (BSL) users have full access to political information during the upcoming general election.
Disability Rights UK, the Royal Association for Deaf People, and the sign language qualifications body Signature are among the organisations supporting this initiative.
The campaign addresses a crucial issue: many Deaf individuals who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first language struggle to access political information in written English. With over 466 million people worldwide suffering from hearing loss, and 151,000 BSL users in the UK alone, the need for accessible political communication is more important than ever.
The accessibility challenge
Political parties often fail to provide BSL translations for their communications. This oversight means that Deaf people miss out on critical information, which can lead to their exclusion from the democratic process. The average reading age of a BSL user who leaves school is just 9 years old, highlighting the necessity for clear, signed information.
Advocating for Change
The Campaign led by lawyer Chris Fry of Inspire Legal and AI sign language translation company Signapse, is calling on all political parties to provide BSL interpretation for election communications. The initiative has already seen significant support, with 22 individuals and organisations signing a letter sent to the major political parties, urging them to commit to accessibility.
How you can help
Join the #NoBSLNoVote campaign by sending a letter to political parties requesting BSL translations. There are free template letters for you to download and use:
To find out who your MP is, use the Government website resource: Find Your MP.
For a BSL translation of the campaign details, watch the video below:
Get involved in the #NoBSLNoVote campaign now!
Download the templates
Write to your MP
Share this campaign on social media