See press release below
” To mark the International Day of Sign Languages, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is celebrating the work of the Royal Association for Deaf people in supporting deaf people with their tax affairs.
HMRC funds voluntary, community and charitable groups to provide specialist support to customers who may need extra help paying their tax obligations and claiming the benefits they’re entitled to.
Since 2014, HMRC’s Voluntary and Community Sector Grant Funding programme supports organisations to offer bespoke support and advice to HMRC customers who specifically:
- may face difficulties in understanding their tax obligations
- may have complex needs
- are digitally excluded from accessing HMRC services
The Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) has used their HMRC grant funding to set up the HMRC Advice Team. It supports clients who may experience difficulties with tax obligations and claiming benefits. The team ensures clients get the help they need in their first or preferred language, usually British Sign Language (BSL).
Operations Manager Sarah Watson from Essex manages the team. Sarah is partially deaf and joined RAD 8 years ago working part time as an Advice and Information Officer having achieved her Sign Language Level 3 and Advice & Guidance qualifications. When she had achieved her Level 5 Leadership and Sign Language Qualifications Sarah was promoted to Operations Manager and now works full time.
As part of RAD’s HMRC Advice Team, Sarah provides translation services as well as tax support to deaf clients. Sarah works face to face with clients in the office in Colchester, or via video calls. She describes most of the issues the team are contacted about are due to difficulties with communication including:
- understanding the vocabulary used when referring to tax matters such as PAYE, P60, Tax code and so the team will explain, in BSL, what these terms mean
- understanding the contents of a letter which will need to be translated to BSL
- online form-filling which the team can translate through video screen sharing.
The team at RAD work closely with HMRC’s Extra Support Team who are able to liaise with all lines of HMRC business internally and externally to address the client’s needs.
When she is not supporting clients, Sarah spends time meeting with stakeholders to identify any communication barriers within their organisations and provides training to ensure they are supported in providing access for deaf people.
Sarah describes her role as creating bridges where there is a breakdown in communication for deaf people. She uses her own everyday challenges to illustrate the need for better access for deaf people across public services including:
- missing a tannoy announcement for a delayed or cancelled train
- not being able to communicate with a breakdown recovery company when her car breaks down
- not being able to see the mouths of the medical team when she was in labour with her children.
Sarah, who has a BA Honours in Fine Art and has worked in a variety of roles supporting people with hearing loss before joining RAD, said:
“BSL is my passion and I aim to support and encourage deaf people in their deaf culture and help them thrive. There’s a whole range of issues RAD provide support with, but I have really enjoyed getting stuck into helping people with their tax-related matters.”
Outside of work, Sarah lives with her husband and two children aged 12 and 18. Her family are hearing and at home they communicate using lip reading or via BSL. In her spare time Sarah enjoys walking, sketching and painting, listening to music via digital hearings, playing board games with her family and having ladies’ days out and meeting with deaf clubs.
Sarah recently took part in a video using a BSL interpreter, to explain the difference the HMRC Grant Funding Programme has made to deaf clients.
For more information about HMRC’s Voluntary and Community Sector Grant Funding Programme and which organisations are being funded, go to GOV.UK.
