Growing Up with BSL and Mainstream Media
When I was a child in the 1970s, we had an old black‑and‑white television in the living room. Obviously, technology was not at a point whereby there were captions or in-vision interpreters, so I watched the pictures move across the screen and tried to make sense of what was happening. I also relied on my mum to fill in the parts I couldn’t catch, but she didn’t use British Sign Language (BSL), so it meant that I had to lip-read (remember, lipreading is 90% guess work) and only got brief snippets of information. I was about five or six when we finally got a colour television, a set we rented from the Co‑op, and it felt unbelievably exciting.
At the age of 13 or 14, I remember going to the TV showroom with my mum and seeing subtitles for the first time. I was amazed! My mum explained that she was buying a TV with Ceefax so that I could use the subtitles and have better access. I remember thinking how lovely it was that mum was spending her money on an expensive TV especially for me. Having Ceefax was great, as it not only provided subtitles but also gave access to news, including Deaf news and events and information such as the weather forecast. Having access to information like this was new and exciting at the time. However, it still wasn’t ideal, as subtitles could be very hit and miss; with delays or gaps in the information. Most importantly, they still relied on being able to read and understand English well.
Nowadays, most programmes on television have captions, even live ones, although live ones are often difficult to follow and may have more errors. Also, more and more cinemas are showing subtitled films. Showings used to be during the day or midweek at times when people didn’t really want to go to the cinema or after a film had already been released for a few weeks. Now things are improving to give deaf people more opportunities to go to the cinema at a time that suits them, and to see the latest films as they are released, rather than several weeks later.
British Sign Language on the screen
Deaf programming in the UK has come a long way since the launch of the BBC’s iconic magazine show See Hear in 1981. For decades, BSL was confined to these specialised, early-morning slots.
The next major shift occurred with the 1996 Broadcasting Act, which legally forced mainstream channels to include in-vision signing across standard schedules, leading to signed late-night repeats of popular soaps and dramas.
At first, I wasn't keen on in-vision interpreters, but this was because I had been reliant on subtitles. I soon came to realise that it was easier for me to follow the interpreter. Finally, I was able to access TV in my first language, BSL, and fully understand what was going on.
Today, thanks to streaming platforms and updated accessibility laws, BSL has transitioned from isolated community slots to real-time integration into mainstream, primetime television.
Similarly, theatres often provide interpreters for some of their performances now, so that more deaf people are able to attend and fully enjoy the shows. Even concert organisers are realising that many deaf people enjoy music, and will often provide interpreters for concerts and music festivals.
Overall, things have improved a great deal since my childhood, and access is a lot better than it used to be. However, there are improvements still to be made.
Join me next time when I will talk about some of the assistive technology that helps deaf people in their everyday life.