This week, Signature’s blog collaboration is with Lydia Gratis, Founder and Director of Saved By The Sign (SBTS), a Deaf-led social enterprise committed to centring and empowering racially and culturally marginalised Deaf communities. Growing up between white Deaf and Black hearing space, Lydia developed a deep understanding of intersectionality and exclusion. Today, Lydia uses her platform to challenge superficial inclusion, build global connections, and create spaces where racialised Deaf people can lead, thrive, and be fully seen.
Introduction:
I am a community organiser, strategist and storyteller working at the intersection of racial justice, Deaf advocacy and cultural change. I am the Founder and Director of Saved By The Sign (SBTS), a social enterprise focused on building liberatory spaces for racially and culturally marginalised Deaf communities.
SBTS is an intercultural consultancy and Deaf led social enterprise dedicated to advancing social inclusion and racial equity within the global Deaf community. Through media, advocacy, and education, SBTS builds bridges across cultural divides, empowering racialised Deaf communities and promoting Deaf awareness and cultural understanding. My work is rooted in creating spaces where racialised Deaf people are not only included but centred, respected, and able to lead.
Growing up Deaf and challenges faced:
I grew up in two worlds that rarely met, an all-white Deaf community where I was the first ever non white person in the Irish Deaf community, and an all hearing Black community. This dual reality deeply affected my confidence and sense of identity for the first 25 years of my life.
In Deaf spaces, I carried the constant weight of being the only one who looked like me, navigating isolation, unspoken biases, and the pressure to adapt to a culture that did not reflect my own. In Black spaces, I faced the opposite barrier, rich in cultural familiarity yet without access to sign language I was often on the outside of conversations.
Living between these worlds taught me to read people and environments sharply, to find belonging where none was offered and to build my own sense of identity from fragments. It also showed me that access is never just about communication, it is about culture, representation, and the safety to bring your whole self into the room.
Inspiration to become an advocate:
My mother and grandmother. I grew up watching them both advocate fiercely for themselves and their communities. My grandmother grew up during apartheid South Africa, at a time when being a Black woman meant your freedom, movement and even your humanity were systematically denied. She carried herself with dignity and an unshakable belief in justice, refusing the accept the limits imposed on her.
My mother moved to Ireland escaping an abusive relationship with my father and became one of the first Black women advocating for women experiencing domestic violence here. She is a counsellor, community development practitioner and advisor. As a child, I would sit in the playroom at her workplace or wander the building, noticing how women would walk into her office frazzled and disempowered and walk out with a twinkle of hope in their eyes. That transformation and the power of holding space for others shaped my understanding of advocacy as both a responsibility and a legacy.
Using my platform
Through SBTS, I use media, public speaking, workshops, and creative projects to connect racialised Deaf communities globally and to raise awareness about the intersections of race, Deaf identity, and access. We work with both Deaf and hearing racialised communities, and with white Deaf communities as they are often at the forefront of Deaf advocacy. This includes providing workshops, audits, consultations, and strategy support to strengthen accessibility and embed inclusive practices that create safe, supportive environments for Deaf people navigating complex cultural landscapes.
Society’s understanding of identity and accessibility
There is progress, but it is often superficial. Accessibility is too often treated as a checkbox rather than a cultural shift. Identity is treated as one dimensional. True inclusion comes when those most affected, especially racialised Deaf people, are leading the design of solution and shaping the culture around access.
Advice to young Deaf individuals
Your identity is your strength. Learn your history. Learn your language. Build community with those who see you fully. You will be told to choose between parts of yourself, do not. Your wholeness is your power, and your community is your anchor.
Proudest moment in advocacy
My proudest moment is being the course director with the Council of Europe Youth Department for a study session on race, migration, and xenophobia in 2021. It was the first time ever that racialised Deaf people across Europe had the space to meet and be in community together. This had a domino effect on how racialised Deaf Europeans viewed themselves and their place in community. I founded the working group Ubuntu European Deaf Youth and went on to become the president of the European Union of the Deaf Youth. This increased the visibility of racialised Deaf youth across organisations and businesses in Europe as they boldly began taking up leadership and voluntary roles.
What’s next?
This year, I am preparing The Sign Lab 2026: The Archive We Deserve, curating courses and producing new media projects through SBTS. Each step is part of building the archives, networks, and leadership our communities deserve.