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Imagine for second you have a medical emergency and contact the ambulance. But when it arrives, you find no one aboard speaks your language. Well-meaning first responders want to help you, but you can’t understand their diagnosis or what they are going to do to you next. This sounds like a nightmare. But it is often the reality for folks who must exclusively use sign language to communicate. Luckily, technology has a solution.

An ambulance service in England now outfits every vehicle with an iPad set up with the “Sign Video” app. The company is the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS). The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It allows folks to video chat with a British sign language translator who helps them communicate with the ambulance crew.

Mark Johns is the NEAS inclusion manager. He said, “we know our crews and Deaf/BSL patients sometimes face communication barriers.” In the past, the ambulance crews would call a “BSL relay” service. But the new solution is a step up.

A row of computers and ipads showing Sign Video's British sign language translation services.
BLS translation services | Sign Video

Johns added, “This partnership with SignVideo means that when a patient who is Deaf or uses BSL, we are able to triage and communicate more easily.”

Rachel Austin is the coordinator for the Hartlepool Deaf Centre, in the NEAS’ service area. She said of the partnership, “It will help to save more lives, ensure people get the best outcome and help achieve equality between Deaf and hearing people.”

Obviously, it makes little sense for every ambulance to carry a translator all the time. But its important that ambulance crews can communicate with patients. Sign Video’s service is a fantastic solution that might make a real difference.

Next, see how BSL users can call an ambulance in the UK in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.