Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support innovation to make transport more accessible to deaf people.

The Department is proud to support innovation aimed at making transport more accessible for everyone, including deaf people. In July 2018 the Department published the Inclusive Transport Strategy. Its ambition is to create a transport system that provides equal access for disabled people by 2030 and includes a commitment to ensure future technology is designed inclusively and opportunities are sought to harness innovation.

Practical action includes the introduction of the accessible information regulations from October which will see improved audible and visible technology made a requirement for travel on local buses, supported by grant funding of £4.65m for small operator implementation costs. Almost £2m has been awarded to Transport Research Innovation Grants (TRIG) for small and medium sized enterprises and academia to solve accessibility challenges, including projects focused on improving information assistance for deaf people at railway stations. The First of a Kind (FOAK) programme, which promotes innovative new technologies on the railway network is funding three rail accessibility projects, aimed at improving the travel experience for people with hearing impairments. This includes projects aimed at converting travel information into British Sign Language (BSL) or subtitles through mobile phones or on-board information.

The Department has an active BSL communications working group, with BSL integrated into the It’s Everyone’s Journey inclusive transport campaign and the Air Passenger Travel Guide.