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January 20, 2023
Research shows than 12 million people in the UK are deaf or suffer from hearing loss. Out of these, 151,000 use British Sign Language (BSL). To advance inclusivity and be reflective of its audiences and community, prominent British broadcaster BT Sport launched “Sign Up” in December 2022 to raise the profile of the deaf community within sport, help make its programming accessible to all and to create new opportunities.
A component of the initiative builds on “New Signing”, an existing BT Sport partnership with the Home Nations Football Associations and UK mobile network provider EE to spotlight disability football on and off the pitch and increase the accessibility and visibility of BSL. In a first-of-its-kind opportunity, Damaris Cooke and Rolf Choutan were recently signed as BSL presenters to provide their services around a range of live televised sport in 2023, including June’s UEFA Champions League Final and the FA Disability Cup.
“When a friend alerted me to BT Sport and EE’s New Signing opportunity, with the opportunity of delivering football punditry in BSL, I didn’t hang about with getting my application in. This represents an exciting new chapter of accessibility for Deaf people within sport and one I feel privileged to be a part of,” said Choutan.
Damaris has captained both GB Women’s Football and England Women’s Football teams. Crystal Palace season ticket holder Rolf has previously played deaf football and currently plays for a Deaf Futsal team. A documentary series following their journey will debut on BT Sport 1 and EE platforms on 4 February.
The broadcaster also engaged Premier League players and managers to guide viewers through the BSL alphabet to promote and destigmatize its use among the public. The series featured Manchester City and England national team’s Jack Grealish and Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp amongst others.
On 6 January, the first episode of its new series, Deaf Away Days, premiered. It follows deaf brothers Marios and Memnos Costi as they visit some of the biggest sporting events in the UK including rugby, football and track cycling. The brothers previously represented Team GB in Deaf football and futsal.
“Sport should be for everybody and there should be no barriers stopping anyone from accessing it…Through New Signing, Deaf Away Days and our BSL Alphabet campaigns, we aim to help our Deaf viewers enjoy sport more than ever and help raise awareness,” said Jamie Hindhaugh, head of BT Sport.
Additionally, BT Sport has taken measures to ensure that its audio and visual content is tailored to the Deaf community. The organization worked with Deaf musician Ruth Montgomery to create a full soundtrack for all Sign Up content. She also directed BT Sport on how to create a piece of music that can be best experienced by the Deaf community. Alongside this, the contents visuals include soundwaves to graphically represent music and feature England Deaf footballer Lucindha Lawson, who perform football tricks to the beat of the music. These elements intend to bring the content to life for the Deaf community.
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