Breaking Down Barriers for the Deaf Community: Signly Grant Case Study
Grantify helped Signly secure £498,919 through Innovate UK’s Smart Grant. Discover how Signly is making online content accessible for the deaf community. BSL translation is available via QR code.
Since 2017, Signly has had a singular vision: to deliver sign language everywhere.
Signly is the delivery agent that connects organisations with their deaf customers, making information and services more accessible through sign language technology – essentially adding sign language to websites.
Awarded £498,919 in funding through Innovate UK’s Smart Grant scheme, Signly now has the funds to augment the work of human translators and implement AI ethically into its platform. The wider goal is to scale sign language translation across websites and help even more sign language users globally.
Company
Signly
Industry
Assistive Technology
Service
Innovate UK Smart Grant
Quick Summary
£498,919
Secured in non-dilutive funding
Challenge
English-only websites do not adequately serve sign language users.
- Some sign language users don’t or can’t use English.
- Lack of qualified deaf talent and interpreters to translate online content.
- Accessibility challenges for sign language users on websites, especially for vital information, such as healthcare and banking.
Solution
Signly adds sign language to websites so that sign language users can understand online content in their first language.
- A sign language 'screen reader' for deaf users.
- Low-code and one-time integration process.
- Site updates or new content are checked regularly and updated promptly.
Impact
With the help of the Smart Grant, Signly is now scaling its sign language technology to serve more websites and sign language users.
- Organisations can easily break down these barriers with a deaf-friendly website.
- Sign language users have equal access to content online.
- The deaf community has the tools to be more independent and rely less on family, friends, and interpreters.
Signly is a purpose-driven company dedicated to breaking down communication barriers for the deaf community.
What many don’t realise is that sign language is a rich, visual language with its own grammar and structure, completely distinct from spoken or written English. It uses hand shapes, facial expressions, body posture, and spatial movement to convey meaning. For those who were born deaf and use sign language as their first language, written English is often a second language, and not always easily understood.
By connecting deaf individuals with organisations through high-quality sign language interpretation and translation services, Signly serves a community that has long been underserved by traditional, text-based communication.
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Most websites remain English-only, creating serious barriers for sign language users. Since sign language is fundamentally different from English, many deaf individuals cannot easily navigate written content, especially when it involves complex or critical information.
Compounding the issue, there’s a shortage of qualified deaf translators to translate content into sign language at scale. This leaves many deaf people struggling to access essential services in areas like healthcare, finance, and education, often relying on family or friends for support, or waiting for an interpreter to access basic information.
The digital world, as it stands, was not built with sign language users in mind, but this needs to change, and Signly is pioneering this movement.
Grantify: Simplifying the Grant Application Process
Tailored Application Strategy
Identified the best grant opportunities for the project
Developed a structured technical innovation story
Built a compelling business case
Expert support
Provided a dedicated grant specialist
Offered technical writing assistance
Guided detailed budget preparation
Tailored Application Strategy
Established a clear application timeline
Conducted regular progress reviews
Performed quality assurance checks
“We realised there was a major gap in assistive technology that left the deaf community marginalised. It all began with a simple prototype — having coffee with Deafax at the Roald Dahl Museum when the staff noticed us testing out an idea. They asked if they could trial it with deaf schools that visit the museum.
“That moment snowballed. The story was picked up by BBC News, and the next moment, Signly was on BBC Breakfast. The next day, Lloyds Bank got in touch, and we worked with them to implement Signly BSL on their website, making it one of the most deaf-friendly banks in Europe.
“Today, we’re working with eight major banks and several other organisations. Our next step is to integrate AI into our technology — responsibly and ethically — to make even more content accessible to sign language users across the web.”
Until now, Signly has been 100% driven by human intelligence and highly qualified deaf translators producing its content. The Smart Grant is now funding technological advancements to ethically deploy AI into this space, supporting the work of the human talent, and considering all the risks and opportunities that AI presents, especially as it's unregulated.
Signly is prioritising two key elements within this project:
- Deploying AI in such a way that it benefits deaf talent who are providing the data to learn from.
- Deploying AI in a way that the deaf community needs and wants it, ensuring that they can trust the quality of the interpretation or translation.
Real Signly users say they’ve never seen anything like it – the service helps them feel more included and independent, no longer relying on family to access vital information. It reduces stress, boosts confidence, and removes barriers, making everyday life easier and more empowering.
“Before working with Grantify, we had written several failed bids for the Smart Grant. We’re so glad to have found Grantify, as the application is quite a hard system to work with.”
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