What is BSL?
Information About Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
Learn more about what it means to be Deaf or hard of hearing, how many people use BSL, and how communication and access are supported.
What does deaf or hard of hearing mean?
Being deaf means having little or no useful hearing, often from birth or early life. Hard of hearing usually refers to people with some hearing loss, who may use hearing aids and spoken language to communicate.
Deaf with a capital 'D' is often a way to distinguish someone's cultural identity, where as deaf with the lowercase 'd' is used to describe the medical condition of hearing loss.
Signposts to further information:
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RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People): Statistics, hearing loss support, and deaf awareness resources.
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National Deaf Children’s Society: Information about deaf children, families, and education.
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Ofcom – Accessible TV and Media: How accessibility works in UK broadcasting.