Global Accessibility Awareness Day

For many Deaf people in the UK, accessing everyday services is still far from equal. Whether it’s booking a GP appointment, communicating at work, or using public services, barriers remain widespread. Waiting times for British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters can vary depending on location and notice, but delays are a consistent issue, particularly in urgent situations.

There is strong evidence that these challenges are systemic. According to SignHealth’s Sick Of It report, 70% of Deaf people who hadn’t recently visited their GP wanted to go but didn’t, mainly due to a lack of interpreter support.

At the same time, 45% of Deaf sign language users can only book appointments by physically visiting their GP surgery. While 8 in 10 Deaf people want to use sign language in healthcare, only 3 in 10 are given the opportunity.

Barriers are not limited to healthcare. Research from Royal National Institute for Deaf People shows that more than a quarter of Deaf people say they have been ignored in public, while 67% have experienced negative attitudes or behaviours in the past year, and nearly half have experienced this within their own families.

Aston spoke to Steph Lotz, UK general manager at Convo who was also accompanied by her BSL interpreter Adam Price.