Signly

Check out Tim's insightful video where he delves into the pressing issue of "Signwashing" in organizations, a concern highlighted by Rachel Vann’s article. https://lnkd.in/ez9J8_5C #signwashing #bsl #financialservices

Santander UK Expands Resources for Deaf Customers With Launch of BSL Website Translation Service Santander Head of Vulnerable Customer Strategy, Dorothy Liviabella, said: “Our addition of Signly will improve access to critical financial information for more people. Tens of thousands of Deaf people use BSL as their primary language and through Signly they can now easily access the exact same information as other customers.” https://lnkd.in/eJ3pgYDR Tom Paget Breda Leyne #fintech #finance #banking #paytech #payments #fintechnews #paymentsnews

BBC Broadcasting House is opening its doors to disabled jobseekers on Wednesday, 21 August! As part of our BBC Extend campaign - promoting opportunities ringfenced for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent - we’re hosting an open day at the BBC’s central London base and we’d love for you to come along! All jobseekers who identify as deaf, disabled and / or neurodivergent are welcome to sign up to find out more about the BBC as an employer. During the day we’ll have: - Q&A panels for News, Production & Tech. - Opportunities to speak with BBC recruiters directly. - Studio tours and show & tells. - BBC Blue Room giving insight on latest AI tech. - Top tips for those wanting to launch their career at the BBC. This event is now full, but you can sign up to find out about future events here: https://lnkd.in/ex4RNnMi. Please share for your contacts, even if you can’t make it along yourself. I can’t wait to see some connections there on 21 August! ID: A BBC colleague with long brown hair is pictured laughing with their hands up, to the right of text that reads: “Wednesday 21st August BBC Extend Open Day. Learn more about a career within the BBC at our London open day for deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent talent.” #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #DisabilityEmployment #Adjustments #DiversityAndInclusion #Content #DisabilityPrideMonth #HiringNow

Do you know how many people in Scotland are familiar with at least some sign language? What might this imply for the wider UK? Additionally, how can businesses across the country provide better service for customers who use sign language? #bsl #signlanguage

Greenwashing. You’ve almost certainly heard of it, but have you heard of Signwashing? A concept I heard recently at the British Deaf Association conference. Read my article to find out more about this growing concept.

Last Saturday, we were thrilled to take part in the Deaffest UK Deaf-led Arts and Film Festival in Wolverhampton. Our team set up stalls outside in the sunshine. It was a big hit! People got to see how Signly works firsthand, using their phones to scan QR codes and sign up for Signly. Many learned about Signly from the Limping Chicken webpage and were impressed. They were especially interested in how Signly adds sign language to websites without needing extra downloads and plugins. At Signly, we're always improving. If you want to learn more or get in touch, please email us at [email protected] or connect with me directly. I'm Tim, part of the Signly team. Thanks for your support! #Signly #Accessibility #DeaffestUK #Innovation #Tech

Now, for Tip 2, let's talk about 'Attention'.   'Attention'   There are several aspects of 'Attention' to consider, so I'll highlight a few key points:    People should approach me from the front and establish eye contact or make eye contact before asking me to come over.   Another method is for someone to tap on the shoulder to get my attention.   I'll look up and ask what's needs, then establish eye contact and follow their gesture.   If my name is displayed on an information screen, I'll notice and come over.   In the case of a fire alarm, I prefer to see flashing lights as a signal instead of relying solely on sound, so that I can evaluate the situation.    When I wear hearing aids, I may hear someone tapping on a table and look around, making eye contact.   If someone stamps on the floor, I may hear it with my hearing aids, but without them, it can be challenging for me to notice and pay my attention.   Lastly, let me share a challenging experience: skydiving.   I've had the opportunity to parachute on my own.   I rely on visual cues like green LED lights on the wall surface to signal when to depart.   These visual indicators provide the necessary guidance and confidence as I prepare to take the plunge into the open sky.   Visual cues, shoulder taps, eye contact, and flashing lights are helpful.   Other useful attention cues for Deaf people including flashing doorbell lights.   I hope this sheds light on the various ways attention can be communicated with Deaf individuals. 

Now, for Deaf Awareness Week Tip no. 3, let's discuss 'Inclusion'. What does inclusion mean? It's disheartening to hear phrases like 'nothing', 'doesn't matter', I will explain later', or nothing important', as they can undermine my confidence. Instead, true inclusion means discussing matters together. One of the challenges of inclusion is organising communication support needs, whether it's me or the services arranging interpreters, captioning or subtitles, remote captioning for meetings, or autocues provided by palantypists typing to follow conversations in conferences, events, or workshops.  Inclusion also means having human interpreters or sign language users on stage, or facilitating lip reading, providing visual cues for those who may not be able to hear, such as having information displayed on screens, sign language or lip reading.

Hello, my name is Tim and I work for Signly. I want to tell you about Deaf Awareness Week, which is celebrated in the UK from May 6th to May 13th, 2024. I'm going to explain the topic of 'Communication.' People who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, have Hearing Loss, or are Hearing, all communicate differently. How do they do it? Some still use the traditional method of writing and pen communication. This can either be stressful or managed quite easily. With this method, communication is one-way, as the pen and paper are passed back and forth. Another method is using mobile phone apps that convert speech to text. This allows for group or individual conversations, where the speech is converted to text as it is spoken into the phone. I can then read the text transcript and respond accordingly. However, if someone asks me a question face-to-face, I may have to put my mobile phone down or use a mobile stand. In such situations, I use speak or sign language. When face-to-face communication becomes challenging for either party, they may seek help from someone else. This mutual support helps both parties. They may ask someone with interpreting skills, someone who knows sign language, or someone who is skilled in lip reading. Each individual's abilities and communication skills vary.

Deaf Awareness Week has been a milestone for our social enterprise ESquared. On Tuesday we launched www.signingbanks.uk. In 2021 ESquared became part of a partnership with partners from Italy, Bulgaria and Spain in an Erasmus project called SigningBanks. When the project ended in April 2023 we didn't feel that we had fully achieved what we had set out to do. We carried on working with Kathryn Townsend Rachel Vann Mark Applin and others who were striving to bridge the gap that exists between banks and their Deaf customers. And thanks to them and sponsorship from Nationwide Building Society we got to the point where we could launch www.signingbanks.uk And our journey isn't over yet. Thank you to Dr Tim Pascoe Alex Sloan Sanjida A. who have formed the SBUK team with me.