Professional British Sign Language translation of documents & communications

Ready to lead your industry in accessibility?
QR-BSL makes you the organisation that gets it right.

No Deaf person should have to guess what their contract says, what their diagnosis means, or what their rights are. And no organisation should be caught unprepared when accessibility is questioned. QR-BSL allows you to ensure your documents are instantly accessible to Deaf BSL users.

Professional British Sign Language translation of documents & communications

Ready to lead your industry in accessibility?
QR-BSL makes you the organisation that gets it right.

No Deaf person should have to guess what their contract says, what their diagnosis means, or what their rights are. And no organisation should be caught unprepared when accessibility is questioned. QR-BSL allows you to ensure your documents are instantly accessible to Deaf BSL users.

Trusted by |

Law Firms GP Surgeries Health Trusts Schools HR Departments Hospitality Venues Public Services Charities Public Buildings
Law Firms GP Surgeries Health Trusts Schools HR Departments Hospitality Venues Public Services Charities Public Buildings

About us

Accessible from the first hello. Ready before it’s needed.

Our services provide you with a British Sign language translation video of your documents, that are accessed via individual secure QR codes, which you can embed directly into your existing materials.

We help organisations across law, health, education, HR, hospitality, and other public sectors to meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010, in particular the duty to make reasonable adjustments under sections 20–21, and may amount to unlawful discrimination in the provision of services under section 29.

Our team combines expertise in BSL linguistics, legal practice, clinical care, and compliance. Every translation is accurate, culturally appropriate, and fully auditable. Whether you’re a law firm, a GP surgery, a school, an employer, or a visitor attraction — if you serve the public, you have an accessibility obligation. We help you meet it. 

Most organisations are already breaking the law on accessibility. They just don’t know it yet.

The Equality Act 2010 requires every organisation that serves the public to make reasonable adjustments for Deaf BSL users — proactively, not when asked.

Whether you’re a law firm, a GP surgery, a school, an employer, or a visitor attraction — if you serve the public, we can help you to meet your accessibility obligation for people who are Deaf.

If your documents aren’t accessible to Deaf BSL users right now, you’re already exposed.

QRBSL fixes that — without changing a single thing about how you work.

Find out if you’re exposed

Our Services

We work with any organisation that has a legal duty to communicate accessibly with Deaf BSL users. Under the Equality Act, that’s almost everyone.

QR-BSL Legal

Law firms, solicitors, and legal services have a specific duty to ensure Deaf clients can understand the documents they sign. A client care letter. A contract. A conditional fee agreement. If a Deaf BSL user can’t access it, you have a problem — whether or not one has ever walked through your door. The SRA expects you to have already thought about this.

QR-BSL Health

NHS providers, GP surgeries, mental health services, and social care teams are required under the Accessible Information Standard to proactively meet the communication needs of Deaf patients. An appointment letter. A consent form. A care plan. If it’s written in English only, it may not be accessible to the patients who need it most.

QR-BSL Every Organisation

The Equality Act doesn’t only apply to law and health. Schools, universities, HR teams, hospitality venues, visitor attractions, event organisers, housing associations, local authorities, and charities all carry an anticipatory duty to Deaf BSL users. If you serve the public, that includes you. QR-BSL helps you meet your obligation simply, affordably, and without disruption.

about QR-BSL

Built by people who’ve seen what happens when communication fails

QR-BSL was founded by a qualified solicitor and a PhD BSL interpreter with two decades of NHS experience. Between them, they’ve spent careers at the sharp end of what happens when communication fails — in courtrooms, consulting rooms, and care plans.

We built QR-BSL because we kept seeing the same thing: organisations that genuinely wanted to do the right thing but didn’t understand how to provide full access within their budget. Now QR-BSL can provide an easy solution that works alongside existing published material.

The solution is simpler than most organisations expect. And the risk of doing nothing is higher than most realise. 

Three things make QR-BSL different from any other accessibility service

1.

The only service built for high-stakes documents

General translation services aren’t built for legal letters, clinical consent forms, or HR contracts. We are. Our team includes a qualified solicitor and interpreters with direct clinical and legal experience — so every translation is accurate in the context that matters, not just linguistically.

2.

Auditable. Every time.

Every translation includes full documentation — back-translation available as standard for legal documents, on request for all others. When a CQC inspector asks how you meet the Accessible Information Standard, or an SRA audit questions your client communication, you have a clear, documented answer. You don’t just get compliance — you get proof of it.

3.

You don’t need to have failed yet to act now

The Equality Act’s anticipatory duty means organisations are expected to have already considered accessibility — before a Deaf person asks, before a complaint is made, before an inspection happens. One tribunal, one CQC report, one regulatory finding is all it takes. QR-BSL helps you get ahead of that moment rather than respond to it.

Who We Work With

Almost every organisation that serves the public has an anticipatory duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments for Deaf BSL users. Here’s what that looks like across different sectors – and what’s typically at stake.

Law & Legal Services

SRA guidance, informed consent obligations, and client care duties all touch accessibility. A Deaf client who cannot understand their own retainer letter has grounds for complaint.

Health & Social Care

The Accessible Information Standard is a named legal requirement for NHS and social care providers. Written English alone does not discharge that duty for BSL users. 

Education

Schools, colleges, and universities carry accessibility obligations under the Equality Act and SEND framework – covering newsletters, consent forms, safeguarding information, and contracts.

HR & Employers

Employment contracts, disciplinary procedures, health and safety information, and pay documentation must be accessible to Deaf employees. HR teams are increasingly exposed under equality legislation.

Hospitality, Leisure & Public Spaces

Holiday Parks, museums, festivals, and hotels carry anticipatory duties. Safety information, booking terms, and guest communications all need to be accessible.

Charities & Public Bodies

Local authorities, housing associations, and charities often serve people at their most vulnerable. The duty to communicate accessibly is not optional – and the reputational cost of getting it wrong is significant.

The smartest organisations don’t wait for accessibility problems. They prevent them.

The process is simpler than you might expect. You don’t need new systems, new documents, or a full accessibility overhaul. You just need a QR code to your current publications. Simple.

If your document is ready to translate, get in touch for a quote. If you’re not sure where your accessibility gaps are, that’s exactly the conversation we’d like to start.

FAQ

We don’t have Deaf clients/patients/parents. Why do we need this?

You may not know that you do — and, importantly, the Equality Act reasonable adjustment duty for service providers is anticipatory. You’re expected to think ahead about potential disabled customers, not only those already known.

Many Deaf BSL users report that English is a second language and that written English can be difficult, especially when it is jargon heavy. A UK Parliament evidence submission notes that written English may be so difficult that the average reading age for deaf adults can be around 6.5 years. BSL video makes essential information understandable immediately — without relying on others.

Captions help with spoken English audio. QRBSL translates the meaning of written content into BSL, which has its own grammar and structure.

Immediately! get in contact for a 15 minute consultation to discuss your requirements and we can start straight away.

Yes – we recommend a pilot translating one high visibility asset so you can see uptake and feedback before scaling.