Deaf Awareness Week 2026 takes place between 4th and 10th May – and hospitality businesses are being encouraged to ‘break down the barriers’ that can keep deaf and hard-of-hearing guests out of venues.
There are an estimated 11 million people in the UK who are deaf or hearing-impaired.
Despite this, awareness and communication training in hospitality remains limited, meaning a significant proportion of guests regularly encounter avoidable barriers when dining out, visiting pubs, or staying in hotels.
Training body Access Hospitality is this week highlighting its British Sign Language Phrases for Hospitality online course, which is available free of charge to all hospitality professionals across the UK via CPL Learning.
This year’s Deaf Awareness Week is a call to action for industries and individuals to champion inclusion and accessibility.
The free British Sign Language course is said to respond directly to that challenge by equipping hospitality teams with the essential signing skills to communicate confidently with deaf and hard-of-hearing guests and colleagues.
The course features a collaboration with Sam Egerton-Kemp, known as ‘The Deaf Chef’, who is a passionate advocate for deaf awareness in hospitality with over 223,000 followers across social media.
Egerton-Kemp guides learners through a series of key hospitality phrases in BSL, covering real-world scenarios including welcoming guests, taking orders, navigating dietary requirements, and handling service interactions, all presented in an accessible format designed for busy hospitality professionals.
“I’m incredibly proud to be part of this project,” said Egerton-Kemp. “Hospitality is for everyone, and for deaf guests, simply being acknowledged in BSL can transform their entire experience.
“This course gives teams the confidence to take that first step, and it’s free, so there’s no barrier to getting started.”
Bite-sized, practical, and designed for all levels, the course requires no prior knowledge of BSL and can be completed in a single sitting, making it ideal for team briefings, induction programmes, or individual self-development.
“Deaf Awareness Week is a vital moment for our industry to reflect on inclusion,” said Access Hospitality commercial director, Rob Paterson.
“We are committed to making learning accessible for everyone, whether that’s our learners, or the guests they serve. This free course is our contribution to the campaign, and we hope teams across hospitality take full advantage of it.”
The BSL Phrases for Hospitality course is available to access free of charge here.
