Signature chief executive, Jim Edwards, is meeting with renowned paralympic athlete and disability rights advocate, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, today, 29 July.
Tanni is a leading crossbench peer in the House of Lords having been ennobled in 2010 for her services to sport and contribution to public life.
The meeting is to discuss the Ministry of Justice’s introduction of a mandatory telephone gateway system for those applying for legal aid. This could have negative consequences for deaf people, because they more often than not experience difficulties in using the telephone.
Legal aid provides vital access to justice for deaf people. Signature believe that reasonable adjustments such as the provision of BSL/English interpreters, textphones and video relay services should be put in place to make the application process accessible for deaf people.
