Deaf students lead the way in police awareness training

The Deaf Academy has helped to pioneer a new national training initiative to help police officers across the UK communicate more effectively with the Deaf community.

From highlighting the impact of arresting a Deaf individual – where the use of handcuffs removes their ability to use British Sign Language (BSL) – to teaching essential BSL phrases, the Academy’s post-19 students have created a set of educational videos that will be used in police training across the country. They worked to produce the powerful resource which is aimed at improving interactions between police officers, support staff and Deaf individuals. 

Part of a wider push for greater awareness and inclusivity, this police training initiative is designed to break down barriers, ensuring that officers better understand the needs and capabilities of Deaf people while fostering stronger connections between Deaf and hearing communities. 

Mark Stocks, Partnership and Community Manager at the Deaf Academy, said: “This project has been led by our Academy’s Deaf Awareness Group who are passionate about helping the wider public to understand the culture and language of the Deaf community. 

“The project is hugely beneficial to our students, helping them to develop their own communication skills, growing their understanding of the world, promote independence, build confidence and provide essential work experience.” 

Part of the Deaf Academy’s mission is to help the public to develop a greater understanding of the needs of the Deaf community.  

Mark added: “Our charitable mission extends beyond delivering exceptional education, care, and support for Deaf young people. We aim to enhance awareness and understanding of Deaf culture and British Sign Language through initiatives like this Deaf Awareness training.”

Student Amy, who took part in the training, said: “It will be helpful for the police to be more aware of Deaf people and the way they communicate whether they are being questioned in an interview, a victim of crime, asked questions at a roadside check or being arrested.  It is important that the police are aware that they don’t take a Deaf person’s rights away, for example if they handcuff a Deaf person. 

“I learnt from delivering this training that it doesn’t matter who the audience is; the most important thing is to share with people how they can be Deaf aware and how best to communicate with a Deaf person. Then hopefully they can share this information more widely within their organisations.” 

Massimo, who is also part of the student group who delivered the training, said: “The training is useful because if police arrest a Deaf person they will now know how best to communicate with them.” 

The video has been produced in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and BlueLight Commercial, established in 2020 by the Home Office to work in collaboration with blue light organisations to transform their commercial and procurement activity, resulting in bottom-line improvements and delivering value back to the frontline.  

Paul Dawkins who is the Assistant Chief Officer (Finance & Resources) at Leicestershire Police and the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for Language Services commented: “We are proud to introduce a series of Deaf awareness and British Sign Language training videos aimed at enhancing frontline policing efforts. These resources will provide officers with the skills to understand and communicate with Deaf individuals, ensuring everyone in our community feels heard and understood.  

“By fostering inclusivity and breaking down communication barriers, we are committed to providing accessible services to all members of the public.” 

As well as the police training, The Deaf Academy has been working with other organisations, including the NHS and the Met Office. It offers training to any organisation’s staff when they are considering taking its young Deaf adults on for a work placement, to help break down the barriers in the workplace.