A new report sets out the steps needed to help improve the financial lives of deaf people, as miscommunication and misunderstanding drives nine in ten (90%) debt cases among British Sign Language (BSL) users.
It says that while banks and building societies are making positive progress by working together on inclusive solutions, significant barriers remain compounded by systemic issues.
A key root cause includes the ‘overhearing gap’ – the disadvantage faced by many deaf people who grow up without a shared language at home and worsened by the lack of consistent access to funded provision of BSL for families. With 90 per cent of deaf children born to hearing parents, everyday communication and incidental learning are often inaccessible from an early age.
ActionAble’s new Deaf Equity in Financial Services Report, published by ImpactMatch in partnership with deafPLUS, Signing Banks UK and Nationwide, combines industry insight with the lived experience of BSL users to show what is changing – and what must change next – to deliver deaf equity and help improve financial lives of deaf people.
The report highlights encouraging progress, with the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group (DIIG), founded from within the banking sector itself – growing from seven to 42 financial organisations – a 500 per cent increase since 2022 – and video interpretation services increasing by 30 per cent in that time. However, money management and debt outcomes remain unequal for many of the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus², as hearing-centric systems and attitudes continue to disadvantage deaf people.
The report finds these challenges begin early, with only 34 per cent of deaf pupils achieving a Grade 5 in English and Maths in 2024, compared with 46 per cent of other pupils. It also shows that 60–70 per cent of deaf service users did not use, or were unaware of, accessibility services such as Video Relay – highlighting that access alone is not enough.
Rather than calling for the creation of isolated accessibility services alone, the report urges systemic change, including exploring the development of a Deaf Services Code of Practice – building on existing industry codes to support consistency, confidence and accountability across the sector. It also advocates BSL-first communications in high-risk areas, ‘Tell Us Once’ approaches, and embedding co-design with deaf users as standard practice.
Further findings:
- Only 18 per cent of financial institutions provide fraud and scam information in BSL.
- 76 per cent do not monitor fraud or scam risk specifically for BSL users.
- 79 per cent of moneyPLUS cases required third-party support to help with debt or budgeting.
- Communication barriers – particularly where English is not a customer’s first language – remain a key driver of poorer outcomes for some deaf BSL users.
- Embedding deaf lived experience into service design consistently leads to better outcomes for both customers and colleagues.
Kathryn Townsend, Founder and Chair of the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group – and Head of Customer Accessibility at Nationwide, said:
“This report shows the progress that’s possible when the sector listens to and works alongside the deaf community. But when inaccessibility and miscommunication still lead to exclusion and debt, it’s clear hearing-centred systems continue to fall short. Deaf equity means designing services with deaf customers, not around them. Nationwide is proud to be leading that shift through its actions on deaf inclusion and in working with others across the industry to accelerate progress towards deaf equity.”
Sara Weller CBE, Co-Founder of ActionAble, said:
“True disability inclusion is a growth strategy, not just a social obligation. With 25% of the UK identifying as disabled, ActionAble is working directly at board level to reframe this ‘Disability Dividend’ as a primary driver for innovation and market leadership. Leveraging the rigorous data analysis provided by ImpactMatch, we are proud to partner with Nationwide, the DIIG (Deaf Inclusion Industry Group), deafPLUS and Signing Banks UK to turn lived experience into actionable commercial intelligence. This report challenges leaders to see accessibility as the foundation of their ambition, and we are committed to sharing these insights with the C-suite to accelerate a more equitable industry growth strategy and future for everyone.”
Reg Cobb, CEO of deafPLUS:
“This report matters because it brings into focus something that is too often overlooked. For deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users, the challenges around money don’t begin when they try to access a service, they begin much earlier.”