British Sign Language (BSL) users in the UK can now make calls to 999 services via a video relay service.
BSL users can download the 999 BSL app on IOS or Android devices, or use the 999 BSL website (available at 999bsl.co.uk) to contact the police, ambulance, fire brigade or coastguard services.
The website features content such as step-by-step advice on how to use 999 BSL, video tutorials of the service in action which can be viewed here, and a frequently asked questions section.
The video relay service is available 24/7, every day of the year, and has been designed to be user-friendly with one button to connect to 999 via a BSL interpreter. The interpreter calls the 999 operator through the landline and relays the conversation through to them.
The app and website have been developed in collaboration with Sign Health and Ofcom to offer continued support to the Deaf community. Development began in the autumn of 2019, when the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), Sign Health and the UK Council on Deafness advised Ofcom that the previous SMS text relay service was not an appropriate solution for BSL signers to access the emergency services. This led to Sign Language Interactions becoming the sole provider of the new BSL 99 services, working with BT to develop the new communication methods.
It is hoped that this new addition will now give a better understanding and solutions for the Deaf community. Mark Atkinson, Chief Executive of RNID, commented: “We hope this major step will be followed by increased deaf awareness among emergency services staff so that Deaf people facing an emergency can get the support they need.”
He added: “Everyone must have timely and easy access to the emergency services and it’s brilliant news that Deaf people will now have equal access to 999 in their first language.”
Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, has stated that it believes this function will save at least two lives per year.
