TV viewing habits of British Sign Language users to be examined in first-ever study

The way in which British Sign Language (BSL) users’ watch television and the programmes they watch are to be reviewed in a new year-long study “never been conducted before”, it has been announced.

Academics at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland will begin the research – titled ‘Deaf BSL users’ preferences for watching television’ – next month, with funding provided by the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT).

Dr Robert Adam, Principal Investigator for the project, said: “This project is an exciting milestone in deaf TV programming and it is hoped that this research will identify preferences and trends.

“Entertainment is very much a part of deaf lives and this study will go a long way in helping us to understand what deaf people like to watch.”

Video diaries, interviews and focus groups will be used as part of the research, with the aim of building a “detailed analysis” of Deaf people’s viewing patterns.

A job advert for a part-time research assistant on the project has unveiled more details about the study, with the team questioning “what genre of programming do deaf people want to watch on TV” and “how do deaf people watch television”.

This includes on what devices they watch TV and whether it’s terrestrial or online.

Other research questions include whether Deaf people know about BSL Zone, and do they mainly watch broadcast, online or streamed content.

The findings of the study will then be used by BSLBT to influence how they engage audiences and plan their programmes.

BSLBT Chair Tim Patterson added: “I am delighted that BSLBT will be working in partnership with Heriot-Watt on this very important audience research project.

“[It] will help us to get a better understanding of how our core target – Deaf BSL users – engage with television in its broadest sense.”

More information about the project can be found on Heriot-Watt’s website.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.