Great Britain is bursting at the seams with magnificent heritage and cultural attractions. How many of those can BSL users fully enjoy?
It was in 2005 that EyeGaze produced the most comprehensive British Sign Language tour available in the UK for the ss Great Britain Museum in Bristol. Through the application of new technology, diligent research and attention to detail the newly refurbished ship was brought to life for Deaf visitors in a way that had not been seen anywhere before. The tour was heralded as a great success.
Since that time EyeGaze has gone onto produce sign language tours some of the most prestigious names in British heritage alongside local community museums including Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Britain, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, Staircase House (Stockport) and now, new for summer 2008, we have Cardiff Castle.
Its the unique set of technical and creative skills allied with Deaf awareness that qualifies EyeGaze to be the premier provider of British Sign Language tours in the UK. Years of academic research into the delivery of sign language video at low data rates gave us excellent grounding to pioneer these tours but it is our belief in providing sign language, translated and presented for Deaf people by Deaf people, that sets us apart from many of the alternatives.
It is our commitment and recognition at EyeGaze that in the vast majority of cases it is essential for the quality of language delivery that a native user of that language is employed. It is quicker and easier to use a hearing sign language interpreter but no matter how experienced the individual may be it is no substitute for the subtleties and nuances of the native user.
We often hear on the news a foreign diplomat who is having his or her words translated into English by an expert foreign translator. We understand what is being said but the tone and the rhythm of the English does not seem quite right. Whilst this is an imperfect analogy given obvious differences between spoken and sign language it does make a point and with this in mind it is no surprise when Deaf visitors that take these tours immediately recognise when a hearing presenter is used.
EyeGaze have always had close links with the Deaf community and as a social enterprise it is our commitment to strengthen those links. We hope to achieve this by continuing to provide opportunities for the best of the sign language presenters, by promoting and supporting the rights to BSL access and by ensuring the continued excellence of our sign language output from our own video production studio and editing suite.
If you are a curator or interpretation manager concerned with disability access then make sure your sign language tour provider is doing the right thing or talk to EyeGaze and we can answer any questions you have and ultimately provide you with the best accessibility solution available for hand-held tours. Our track record speaks for itself.
We look forward to hearing from you.
