Lewisham Council has launched a new website and new services at Catford Library to give deaf and hard of hearing people better access to council information.
The new website at www.lewisham.gov.uk/BSL was created with the Lewisham Sign Language Community Group (LSLCG) and deaf people to ensure the language and content was ‘deaf friendly’.
The site contains video clips using British Sign Language (BSL) and was produced by a specialist BSL production company. Signing for the video was done by Stuart Anderson, a local resident of Lewisham.
The website is a great source of information for deaf and hard of hearing people and contains useful information about local deaf groups.
In addition to the website there are new features to the library services at Catford for the deaf and hard of hearing. These include: a new section of specialist books, DVDs and magazines; an area with a large TV screen showing DVDs and BBC news in BSL, and a noticeboard for people to share local information on voluntary groups and events.
Cllr Chris Best, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “I’m really proud of these new services for deaf and hard of hearing people.
“Having these new facilities is a milestone in our objectives to breakdown some of the barriers which have stopped our library services being more accessible to hard to reach communities within the borough. I really hope the deaf and hard of hearing community will take full advantage of them.”