BSL CONFERENCE 2025
British Sign Language: Now and Always
🗓️ 17–18 July 2025 | 📍 The Queens Hotel, Leeds
Hosted by the British Deaf Association (BDA) — Celebrating 135 Years
This year marks the 135th anniversary of our Association, and we are very excited to bring together linguists, professionals, policymakers, families, Deaf leaders, and the wider British Sign Language (BSL) community to celebrate our language, share knowledge, and shape the future.
For over a century, the BDA has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of Deaf people, working to ensure the recognition, inclusion, and promotion of BSL and Deaf culture in society. This conference is a vibrant reflection of our legacy, with a look back on the triumphs, challenges, and collective strength of our community, and looking forward at our future plans.
The BSL Conference 2025 will take place in the centre of Leeds—the very city where the BDA was founded in 1890. We will be joined by 1,000 attendees over two days from across the Deaf community, including professionals, public servants, Deaf leaders, families, and voluntary sector.
We promise you will leave the conference inspired by the presentations and will want to reinforce commitment to equity, inclusivity, language recognition and equal opportunities. We also believe this would be an excellent opportunity for you to engage directly with the BSL community.
The conference’s theme this year is ‘Us. Here. Now. Always.’ (full details below), aims to celebrate 135 years of cultural heritage. We will be bringing together 18 sector leaders and academics to deliver insightful talks to inspire our future. We are incredibly proud of our intangible cultural heritage and the wealth BSL brings to Deaf people’s lives. The conference aims to reframe the benefits of BSL, which have blighted the lives of so many Deaf people for 135 years, with the revolutionary ‘Economics of BSL’ report by RAND.
The theme Us. Here. Now. Always reflects current work addressing issues of culture, place and transmission of signing identities – “Sign languages are deeply intertwined with the cultural identity of Deaf communities. They play a crucial role in fostering a sense of belonging, enabling cultural preservation, and providing the raw material for artistic expression. Sign languages facilitate the transmission of folklore, storytelling, and historical narratives, allowing Deaf individuals to connect with their heritage and celebrate their unique identity.”
A central topic for the day will be the exciting development of proposals to include examples of British Sign Language (BSL) intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on UNESCO’s global list (https://ich.unesco.org/en/home) of ICH practices. The UK is preparing a submission to this archive at present, led by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS has asked the BDA to coordinate dialogue with the national BSL community to gather appropriate ICH material. What better opportunity to kick-start this process than a high-profile cultural event in Leeds on BDA’s 135th anniversary?
Visit this website to register
