Deaf Awareness Week, co-ordinated by UK Council on Deafness is a campaign in which many different organisations participate, each able to promote their own work within the broad spectrum of deafness.

Many organisations collaborate and work together in a joint campaign of UK wide national and local events to raise awareness of the needs of the 1 in 6 deaf or hard of hearing people in the UK.   Deaf Awareness Week aims to promote the positive aspects of deafness, promote social inclusion and raise awareness of the huge range of local organisations that support deaf people and their family and friends.

Cinema and d/Deaf awareness

There are many ways in which cinemas and exhibitors can get involved to promote d/Deaf awareness within their organisations and for audiences. From staff learning some basic BSL signing to programming more captioned subtitled films to always adding subtitles to social media content, here are some resources to get you started.

d/Deaf awareness online

When planning film exhibition initiatives online it is important to think about access and inclusion for everyone.

Things to think about regarding d/Deaf awareness and online film exhibition:

  • Include films with closed captioned / subtitled options. Check individual films and VOD platforms for availability.
  • Add captions to videos on social media
  • Include or enable closed captions on live broadcasts for example on Facebook Live or Zoom
  • Include a BSL interpreter where possible for film discussions
  • We recommend using professional subtitling services to ensure consistency of accessibility and quality. You can find professional subtitling services here, some of which offer advice and training.

Share your experiences

We would love to know about your film or cinema project at Inclusive Cinema. If you’d like to submit your own case study, please download this Inclusive screening case study template and submit it to toki[at]filmhubwales.org, so we can share your experiences, too.

Resources

Guide to Online Film Clubs
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Learn how to plan and run an online workshop
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ICO: Developing Deaf Audiences for film
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Encounters: Watch HERE. NOW. THIS (12A) short film programme online
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Jo Wootten: Tips for working remotely when you’re deaf (with BSL videos)
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Jo Wootten: Captioning remote meetings and other useful resources for deaf people
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The Fringe Guide to Adapting Events for Deaf and Disabled Audiences
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Visible Cinema
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How to Make Sure You’re Not Excluding Deaf People from Arts Events
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Subtitling and audio description
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Digital Resources for Subtitling
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Everything There is to Know About Subtitling & How it is Done
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BSL Zone: Deaf Funny Programme 6
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How do I add captions to my Page's video on Facebook?
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Power in Our Hands and films about deaf community
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5 ways to make your venue more accessible for D/deaf people
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Tips for working most effectively with a BSL/English Interpreter
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Enabling Closed Captions on Facebook Live Broadcasts
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Closed Captioning on Zoom
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Do's and Dont's of Designing for Accessibility
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Lights, camera, caption! Why subtitles are no longer just for the hard of hearing
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YouTube Help: Add your own subtitles and closed captions
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Learn BSL from home in your own time with www.british-sign.co.uk
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Why You Should Always Add Subtitles to your Videos (and How!)
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How to Create Custom SRT Files for Video Subtitles
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Stagetext: How to subtitle your online content
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Matchbox Cineclub: subtitling and advice services
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Substital app: add subtitles to videos online
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Is Your Social Media Accessible to Everyone? These 9 Best Practices Can Help
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Deaf and Disabled access in film exhibition
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The Deaf Visual Archive
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Nothing About Us Without Us: An Overview of Disability/ Deaf Representation in Film
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BFI Player: FREE archive film "On the Level"
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Essential British Sign Language for Cinemas

The best way to market to Deaf audiences - Nikki Stratton

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