Sign of the Times: In Praise of Signly

My sister was born partially deaf and her hearing is deteriorating.

She is currently learning sign language.

I was a typical 'big sister' growing up; overly protective and always ready to scrap with any of the bigger kids who would dare to pick on my sister because of her speech impediment caused by her deafness.

But in my 30s, I can't 'scrap' with big corporations like I did those bullies. But what I can do is raise awareness and call out bad, non-accessible design in the industry that I work in - Technology.

If the last few months have shown us anything, it is that online access isn't a luxury - it is a necessity.

The excuse: 'My customers aren't disabled people' - a real excuse often used to justify poor inclusive design or lack of interest in improving accessibility - cannot stand in an online world where we've been forced to live, work and socialise.

But amongst the bullies of industry that insist that deaf people can settle for just reading their content, or that visually impaired people can just do without the pictures, there is a ray of hope. 

Signly

This year's Digital Leaders summit has been phenomenal and I recommend checking out their playlist if you missed it.

It was during their summit that I was introduced to an innovative company, Signly.

Signly is a browser extension that signs in British Sign Language the content on the page.

When you say it out loud, it makes perfect sense and you wonder why nobody else has done it!?!

But why is this important? 

Signly explains:

1. Deaf people who communicate using BSL often consider it to be their first language with English being their second language
2. Educational provision for Deaf children is sometimes lacking so lower literacy may result in school leavers (as low as 8/9 years old)
3. Combining these factors means essential content in written English can be incomprehensible
4. A shortage of interpreters (1:75) doesn’t help

Deaf people are often excluded from access to essential content.

It’s easy to forget that just because it’s written doesn’t mean it’s understood. Barriers like this can result in Deaf customers being disadvantaged or feeling like second class citizens.

Signly’s allows Deaf customers to self-serve, making access to sign language easy – an integrated part of the way an organisation does business. Users choose the best channel for them to access sign language.

When I saw Signly's Digital Leaders talk, I was blown away! 

Why hadn't I come across this amazing company before?

Surely every website needs to have this browser extension enabled? I showed it to my sister - she fell in love with it too! 

With companies like this out there, pushing the agenda for better accessibility with practical solutions, there might be a day when I can start lowering my fists! 

As far as I can see, this product is currently in use by Lloyds Bank, which is a great start but I want to see it in more places! 

I want LinkedIn to have it so that this article can be signed!

So what can you do to improve accessibility for those with hearing impairments?

Watch the videos, show the company some love on social media and speak to your bosses about how this simple addition can do so much good for your organisation, because you never know, you might need it one day.

Link to the original talk below:

Quotes reproduced from https://signly.co/ 

Although it may sound like it, this ISNT a sponsored post! I genuinely adore this browser!