Deaf News: Motor dealer Arnold Clark partners with SignVideo to allow customers to contact them in BSL

Motor dealer Arnold Clark has partnered with our supporter SignVideo to enable them to communicate with members of the Deaf community using SignVideo BSL Live.

BSL Live is a secure and easy-to-use British Sign Language (BSL) online video interpreting service. By simply clicking on a BSL Live icon on the Arnold Clark website, Deaf BSL users will connect to a professional BSL interpreter within minutes and have their call relayed to Arnold Clark customer services.

With over 8000 staff across 200 branches nationwide and a turnover of £2 billion, Arnold Clark is proud to be Europe’s largest independent motor dealer. Being such a large company, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is extremely important to them.

(You can read more on the Arnold Clark website here: www.arnoldclark.com/newsroom/677-arnold-clark-teams-up-with-signvideo)

Eddie Hawthorne, Arnold Clark Managing Director said, “Arnold Clark is delighted to be the first motor dealer to increase the accessibility for Deaf or Hard of Hearing people who use British Sign Language, who up until now have been unable to interact with the business via this channel.”

In 2014, SignVideo celebrated its 10th anniversary of delivering professional online sign language interpreting services nationally and internationally. Being a deaf-founded, deaf-owned and deaf-led organisation with its home in the BSL community, SignVideo is the UK’s leading Video Relay Service provider and perfectly positioned as a bridge between BSL and English.

Jeff McWhinney, SignVideo’s Founder and Chair said, “Arnold Clark are to be applauded for their vision and innovativeness, partnering with SignVideo to open up telephone access to its call centres for the UK’s deaf BSL-using community. They are the first in this industry sector to recognise this business opportunity and to create and make inroads into this new and untapped customer market segment. SignVideo is about enabling local and national businesses to follow suit by using the latest video technology to demolish barriers to full participation and inclusion for deaf people.”

Arnold Clark offers car sales, servicing, MOT & repairs, parts and accessories, tyres, car rental and insurance, all of which can now be discussed in sign language through the BSL Live link or booked online Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Find the BSL Live link here: arnoldclark.com/customer-services