“AI British Sign Language” Webinar: No BSL Interpreter Despite Months of Planning – Accessibility Matters

Today, I attended a webinar titled “AI British Sign Language.” Given the webinar’s name, I expected full accessibility for Deaf BSL users, including a human BSL interpreter. Unfortunately, this was not provided.

Lack of BSL Interpretation

During the webinar, I raised the issue in the live chat:

"Your webinar is called ‘AI British Sign Language,’ yet you are not providing a BSL interpreter. This is unacceptable and a clear breach of the BSL Act 2022. I demand immediate action to provide access."

Despite months of planning, no human BSL interpreter was present. Only voice and captions were available, leaving Deaf BSL users, like myself, excluded from participation.

Here is the live caption from the session, which explicitly stated:"We don’t have a BSL interpreter available for this webinar" ✅

Legal and Ethical Concerns

This situation constitutes discrimination. Under the Equality Act 2010, reasonable adjustments must be made to ensure access for Deaf people, including human BSL interpretation. Captions alone are not sufficient for meaningful participation.

Accessibility is Inclusion

Accessibility is not optional - it is a fundamental part of inclusion. Denying BSL access denies rights, limits engagement, and marginalises the Deaf community. Organisers hosting events that reference BSL should lead by example.

Key Takeaways:

• Always provide human BSL interpretation for webinars targeting or referencing Deaf audiences.

• Captions alone do not meet legal or ethical accessibility requirements.

• Planning is not enough - action and inclusion matter.

  
  

• #BSL #DeafInclusion #EqualityAct #Discrimination #Accessibility