Ofcom has announced that it is looking into allowing deaf people to contact the emergency services in British Sign Language (BSL).
The consultation – which comes after campaigning from charities Action on Hearing Loss and the UK Council on Deafness – considers the introduction of a new video relay service for emergencies, which would involve a BSL user communicating via a registered interpreter.
In a video on their website, the communications regulator said: “Charities representing deaf people in the UK have been campaigning for Deaf BSL users to have better access to the police, ambulance, fire and coastguard when they are in an emergency.”
Currently, the text-based service Emergency SMS and mobile app TapSOS offer an alternative for contacting 999 for BSL users who cannot use the telephone.
However Ofcom went on to add that charities have told them that “text relay and emergency SMS are not good solutions for Deaf BSL users, because they require callers to read and write in English.
“Deaf people want to be able to use their first language in an emergency. This will make calls faster and more accurate – better for Deaf people and for the emergency services,” they said.
Following the launch of the consultation, Action on Hearing Loss has described the move as “great news”.
The deaf mental health charity Sign Health has also worked with Ofcom, sharing case studies involving deaf people in emergencies.
One anonymous case study, who knows a Deaf elderly couple, said: “The husband went out to do some errands and came back to find that his wife had collapsed inside the hallway. He could not open the front door and had to wait for his daughter to arrive.
“He did not seek help because of his deafness and did not know how to use the 999 emergency number. Unfortunately, his wife died.”
People who are interested in responding to the consultation can email emergencyBSL@ofcom.org.uk with their thoughts – either in English or in a short BSL video uploaded to YouTube or another platform.
More information about Ofcom’s proposal and how to get involved – including BSL versions of the information – can be found on their official website.
By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.
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Posted on December 19, 2019 by Liam O'Dell