To celebrate Great British Week of Sport 2020 UK Deaf Sport have joined forces with ukactive to develop a collection of online and visual resources to support the learning and awareness when supporting Deaf people. There are 11 million deaf people living in the UK with 8 million residing in England.

Sign Health highlighted in their research that up to 40% of deaf and hard of hearing people experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives – well over 3 million people. UK Deaf Sport 2015 Participation survey highlighted 1 in 5 deaf people couldn’t access sport and physical activity opportunities due to communication barriers. We know that over 70,000 deaf people use British Sign Language as their main form of communication which can be a barrier when accessing services – both sport and non-sport. As a result, members of this community risk high levels of isolation and challenges with their mental health.

With Government recommended Covid-19 restrictions in place and the increase use of masks, there is an even great need for this area of work to support the sector, including all staff and volunteers who work in the leisure centres. We know that with frontline workers being required to wear a mask in cafes and restaurants attached to gyms and leisure sites, there is a continued challenge for deaf people to interact and enjoy the experience.

Watch this space for more information coming soon.