Government funding aims to increase Deafblind interpreter numbers: a welcome step with cautious optimism (BSL)

There has been encouraging news for the Deafblind community in the UK, with the government announcing new funding aimed at increasing the number of specialist interpreters available for Deafblind people.

The funding will support competency assessment sessions for interpreters working with Deafblind people, helping more professionals develop and demonstrate the specialist skills needed for this important area of communication support.

Currently, there are just eight registered interpreters for Deafblind people supporting a population of around 12,000 Deafblind people across the UK. 

The government says the funding is expected to help increase the number of specialists on the register more than eightfold, with the total number of Deafblind interpreter specialists expected to rise to 68.

For many Deafblind people, communication support is not an optional extra — it is what makes everyday life possible. Access to the right interpreter can affect everything from attending healthcare appointments and accessing information to taking part in education, work and community life.

Deafblind people communicate in a variety of ways, including tactile forms of British Sign Language (BSL), hands-on communication, and other approaches depending on individual needs. 

Deafblind interpreting requires specialist knowledge and skills beyond standard BSL interpreting, which is why increasing the number of trained professionals has been a long-standing priority for many people.

The new funding follows work by the government’s BSL Advisory Board, which identified the shortage of Deafblind interpreters and worked with organisations including Signature and the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people (NRCPD) to develop specialist competency sessions.

Dr Joanna Atkinson, Co-Chair of the BSL Advisory Board, said:

“Deafblind people communicate in different ways. Expanding the number of sign language interpreters with expertise in working with Deafblind people represents a major step forward so Deafblind people can access information, take part and get on with their lives.”

The announcement has been welcomed by many in the Deafblind community, with some seeing it as an important recognition of a gap that has existed for many years.

Tanya Andrews, who is Deafblind and lives in Surrey, sees the announcement as a positive step for the future.

“It feels like a really positive step in the right direction. We’ve been talking for years about how limited access to Deafblind interpreters can be, and it’s encouraging to see investment being made into changing that.

It makes me hopeful that things could gradually improve and open up more opportunities for independence.”

However, alongside the optimism, there are also questions about how quickly the impact of this funding will be felt and how progress will be measured.

Alec Davies, who is Deafblind and lives in Cheshire, welcomes the intention behind the announcement but remains cautious.

“It sounds good, and I want to be hopeful about it. But we’ve seen announcements before that don’t always develop into real change quickly.

I still wonder how long this will take, how it will be monitored, and how we’ll know it’s actually working for Deafblind people.”

These concerns reflect wider experiences among disabled communities, where policy announcements and funding decisions do not always immediately translate into changes in people’s everyday lives.

Theresa Thomas-Morton, Chief Executive Officer of NRCPD, said the assessment sessions provide a real opportunity to increase the number of Registered Interpreters for Deafblind people and make more qualified professionals available to those who rely on these services.

While the funding represents an important step, increasing the number of Deafblind interpreters will take time. Training, assessment and gaining experience working with Deafblind people are all essential parts of developing a skilled workforce.

There is also the challenge of ensuring that support is available consistently across the country. Increasing the number of registered specialists is an important foundation, but Deafblind people will need to see that interpreters are available when and where they are needed.

The government says this funding is part of its wider commitment to improving access for disabled people and ensuring disabled people’s voices are included in decision-making. It also builds on work following the BSL Act 2022, which requires government departments to report on their work promoting BSL.

For many Deafblind people, the announcement represents something significant: recognition that the shortage of specialist interpreters has been a serious barrier for a long time.

However, the success of this investment will ultimately be measured by its impact on people’s daily lives — whether more interpreters become available, whether waiting times reduce, and whether Deafblind people experience greater choice, independence and access.

For now, the response from the community could best be described as hopeful but watchful: a welcome step forward, while recognising that meaningful change will depend on how effectively the plans are put into practice.

By Rebecca A Withey

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