The EU and UK are addressing sign language within their AI and accessibility frameworks:
- Tim Scannell
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
🇪🇺 European Union
✅ Inclusion in the EU AI Act
The AI Act mandates accessibility for high-risk AI systems, referencing EU disability directives that cover all disabilities, including deafness, via universal design standards (Art 16, Recital 80) - https://eud.eu/historic-moment-as-the-eu-parliament-adopts-the-first-ever-piece-of-legislation-on-ai-however-it-falls-short-on-human-rights-protections/
Vulnerable groups, such as deaf people, are acknowledged and subject to impact assessments (Art 5, 27), though no specific provisions exist to ensure inclusion of sign languages in training data (Article 10)
The European Disability Forum and EUD consider these protections limited; they call for explicit inclusion of national sign languages, which are not currently recognised equally to spoken languages in the Act (Art 21)
🌟 Advocacy by the European Union of the Deaf (EUD)
At a Brussels conference in Feb 2025, EUD emphasised that AI is being proposed to replace sign‑language interpreters, warning this risks accuracy, nuance, and cultural integrity https://eud.eu/ensuring-equity-in-ai-for-sign-language-interpretation-euds-advocacy-at-eu-conference
EUD continues to engage with EU bodies to ensure AI frameworks protect sign-language access, not diminish it eud.eu.
While the EU’s Accessibility Act (effective June 28, 2025) mandates sign-language interpreting for audiovisual content and live events, the AI Act itself doesn’t explicitly require AV avatars or interpreter integration—but compliance may be indirectly enforced under it. https://www.interprefy.com/resources/blog/is-your-event-eaa-ready-how-to-deliver-accessible-communication-before-june-28
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
📝 British Deaf Association (BDA) Guidance
The BDA’s AI & BSL Discussion Paper outlines principles requiring Deaf leadership, quality assurance, and protection of BSL diversity in AI tools
They advocate for a strong safety and accountability framework, aligned with Council of Europe human-rights conventions the UK has joined .
BDA warns against AI BSL systems developed without meaningful Deaf consultation, which may harm linguistic communities and rights https://bda.org.uk/discussion-paper-on-ai/
🤖 Tech & Courtroom Concerns
UK legal professionals echo this caution, noting that AI lacks the nuance, dialects, facial grammar, and spatial syntax essential in BSL, making it ill-suited for sensitive contexts like courts.
🧭 Regional Comparison
Region | Sign-Language Recognition in AI | Key Actions |
EU | Indirect inclusion under accessibility mandates; gaps in data, enforcement for sign languages | EUD pushing for explicit protections, national implementation needed |
UK | BDA-led strategy for AI-supported BSL respecting quality, leadership, diversity | EU comparator + Council of Europe frameworks; Parliamentary scrutiny underway |
🔧 Recommended Next Steps
Urge the EU to:
Amend the AI Act to include explicit sign-language data provisions.
Ensure national regulations enforce access to interpreters/avatars under accessibility laws.
Support the UK BDA by:
Advocating for Deaf-led standards in AI tools.
Ensuring court and public services require human-certified/qualified interpreters or verified avatar tech.
Engage with EUD and BDA on:
Joint position papers and consultations during AI-Act national transposition.
Developing impact assessments focusing on sign-language users.
EUD TV - Series 1 Episode 2: AI, Sign Languages and our digital future - Members only!
Comments