May 262021
DPAC are supporting Signalise Co-op
British Sign Language provision has been an issue for many years now due to the current government procurement system which has excluded Deaf people and BSL interpreters from any consultations, instead only speaking to suppliers. DPAC worked with BSL interpreters in 2014 to establish the National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI) and now this same small group of interpreters along with Deaf activists are establishing the co-operative.
Signalise is a multi-stakeholder co-operative and Deaf people have an equal say in the design and running of the service. It has been set up to ensure that it cannot be taken over or sold off and that every one involved has a vote and a say. This is a model that has the potential to alter the way services are provided in many different sectors. Using a digital platform, it is easy to use and it is being ethically run, following the unions high standards.
Collaborative working provides a real opportunity for improvements to be made, led by the experts; Deaf BSL users.
You can invest in Signalise here.(Please copy and paste into your browser:) https://www.ethex.org.uk/invest/signalise
