Deaf Village Supports BSL Accessibility at New Accrington Dome

Recently, Deaf Village North West has been working in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council to support accessibility at the new Accrington Dome.

Through Deaf Village’s Business Support Service, the council commissioned support to help ensure their new heritage space would be accessible to Deaf visitors from the outset. As part of this work, Deaf Village provided British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation for a series of educational videos about Lydia Becker, which will be used within the venue to share important local history.

Our team worked closely with the project leads to ensure that the interpreted content was clear, culturally appropriate, and accessible for BSL users. This included reviewing materials, planning interpretation for on-screen delivery, and supporting the production of inclusive video resources that Deaf audiences can engage with independently.

In addition to this, Deaf Village was invited to attend the venue’s test open day ahead of its official launch. Staff and clients were given the opportunity to explore the new facility, experience the interpreted content in place, and see first-hand how accessibility has been embedded into the space. This also allowed for valuable feedback to be shared around communication access and inclusive design.

The collaboration demonstrates the positive impact of involving Deaf-led organisations in the early stages of development and highlights how local authorities can take meaningful steps towards creating welcoming, inclusive public environments.

Deaf Village North West is proud to have supported Hyndburn Borough Council in improving accessibility at Accrington Dome and looks forward to seeing the venue become a space that can be enjoyed by the whole community.