Putting the power of language into the hands of deaf children

There is a world of potential in every deaf child’s hands. We just need to give it to them.

The problem

There are 50,000 deaf children in the UK. 90% of them are born to hearing parents. The majority of those parents will have had little understanding of deaf people’s lived experiences and next to no knowledge of how  to communicate with their baby. We know that language acquisition in the first five years of life is essential for a child’s cognitive development and wellbeing.

Yet access to British Sign Language as part of an early and comprehensive support package is not currently provided by the UK Government, meaning many families are not able to communicate with their child during those crucial early years.

The challenge

The British Deaf Association have big ambitions. Following on from the recognition of BSL as an indigenous British language with the BSL Act 2022, we are now urging our Governments to fund free access to high-quality sign language tuition to the families of all newly-diagnosed deaf children.

In order to do that we needed to raise awareness amongst the general public via an advocacy campaign designed to educate, inspire and drive action.And what better way to do that than through sharing the stories of real families?

Co-creation with the Deaf community

The campaign name and core messaging needed to work well in spoken English as well as British Sign Language,  taking into consideration the nuances of both languages.

We developed a visual identity that could flex and adapt beyond launch, working with handprints of a Deaf child, and inspired by the colours of the Deaf flag, with a highly symbolic palette that the Deaf community could get behind and champion.

The audio used for the video ads was inspired by Deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis' famous dance on Strictly Come Dancing, where she performed without music to highlight the beauty in deafness, as well as discussions with a Deaf child about what the world sounds like to her.

A man with glasses and a black shirt signing the name of the campaign in British Sign Language: "BSL in our hands"

A multi-phased
campaign approach

Our campaign aims to reach a wide audience, compelling them to take action for a cause that aligns with their values as a parent, professional or as a socially driven individual, asking them to join our movement by signing up for an email template to send to their local MP.

Awareness

Targeting all audiences with poignant facts and stories to capture initial interest and drive people to the landing page to find out more.

Conversion

Targeting different cold audiences based on terms like ‘parents of young children’ with emotionally charged stories to compel them to enter their details and email their MP.

Remarketing

Engaging with those already close to the BDA, as well as audiences from the awareness and conversion campaigns.

Launching the campaign at The Houses of Parliament

A parliamentary reception to launch the campaign officially on the first day of Sign Language week, saw over 40 government officials attend as well as influencers, parents and Deaf school children. The campaign was mentioned in the House of Commons by Lisa Cameron MP and Mims Davies, Minister of State for Disabled People, and is now listed in Hansard, the written record of all contributions in parliament.

A series of photos from the parliamentary reception launch, including photos of MPs and government officials as well as members of the Deaf Community, Rebecca Mansell, CEO of the British Deaf Association and Deaf schoolchildren, posing with placards saying 'BSL In Our Hands' and 'I support BSL for every child'

A gif cycling through pages of the campaign guidelines, including identity, type, colour, image guidance and advice on putting everything together

Supporting organic content creation

We created campaign guidelines and a toolkit of assets for the BDA's team and partners to use to spread awareness through organic content, including interviews and video content. We also created a suite of templates and animated GIF stickers for influencers, families with deaf children and supporters to use in their own content, encouraging them to share with the hashtag #BSLInOurHands.

The BDA has seen their social media following skyrocket since the launch of the campaign.

How it's going

Since launching in mid-March, the campaign has seen real impact.

1.73m

impressions

1.24%

click-through-rate

7.24%

conversion rate

£4.74

cost-per-aquisition

3500

email templates shared
as of June 2024

40+

parliamentary officials
attended launch event

“We want to challenge the longstanding but mistaken belief that the parents of deaf children must choose between either speech or sign for their child.

Our position is that deaf children should have access to both English and BSL / ISL. There is no evidence whatsoever that learning to sign with your deaf child will have a negative effect on their language development; in fact, it’s the opposite!

Ensuring your family can all communicate fluently with your deaf child will not only boost their language acquisition, but it will also support their cognitive development and mental health and wellbeing, create vital bonds withing your family and build a solid foundation for your child’s lifelong identity as a member of the Deaf community.”

Rebecca Mansell

CEO, British Deaf Association

A series of families and children signing the BSL for 'thank you'

What next?

As a direct result of this campaign, providing free access to sign language for parents and carers of deaf children is now in the Liberal Democrats' manifesto!

Phase 2 of the campaign focuses on engaging with the community to build on this to support tangible objectives that move toward implementing our dreams.

We are hosting a BSL Conference in Manchester, 'Early Years: The Benefits of Introducing Sign Language to Deaf Children' to address the profound impact early exposure to sign language brings to cognitive development and communication skills. This conference has sold out with over 400 seats sold. We are also launching a new campaign initiative; a visual petition to the Government to give every deaf child and their families free access to BSL, which our supporters can 'sign' by adding an image of their handprint.

Visit the campaign site

We demand a world where every deaf child has the language to share their hopes, dreams, fears and ideas. We want British Sign Language in the hands of those who need it most.

Launch the campaign site