Deaf and Signed Resources

08.05.24

We founded My Menopause Centre to support and empower all women with evidence-based information and advice as they transition through the menopause. To help them thrive and not just survive this time of life. Research from the University of Wolverhampton has shown that the majority of D/deaf women (60%) feel they do not have sufficient access to menopause health information in British Sign Language (BSL). That's why we partnered with BID Services, the University of Wolverhampton and Holland & Barrett to create the first agreed British Sign Language resource for women experiencing the menopause.

These resources have been developed by the D/deaf community, for the Deaf community, helping them to better understand the menopause, symptoms and treatment options and to communicate even more effectively with their healthcare providers.

Together, our goal is to empower women who are D/deaf or hard of hearing with evidence-based resources and information to help them on their menopause journey, and GPs with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver high-quality, inclusive care to all their patients navigating menopause.

To access these video resources, head:

The challenges faced by D/deaf women in accessing menopause information

The partnership comes following a study by the University of Wolverhampton that revealed a majority of D/deaf women (60%) do not have sufficient access to menopause health information in British Sign Language (BSL). More than half of D/deaf women (55%) are not aware that the symptoms they are experiencing could be attributed to the menopause, and 90% of D/deaf women have revealed they have no awareness of treatment options.^[^1]

There are around 188,000 people who use BSL as their first language in the UK, with the majority being under 55, and 49% female.^[^2] Women whose first or preferred language is BSL often experience health inequalities and due to inaccessible services and information, many lack access to help and support. Until now D/deaf women only had access to secondary interpreted content which often does not come with explainers of the signs and terms associated with the menopause.

In response, in collaboration with our partners, we have developed a free, online accessible resources guide^[3] which will be hosted here on our website, the BID website and the H&B Menopause Hub. (BID is a charity which works to remove barriers and deliver services which enable and empower those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities to live full lives)

The uniquely curated resources provide BSL signs that explain the menopause, the symptoms and meaning behind them. These also include Frequently Asked Questions and a suite of videos explaining the many different terms people will come across when they start their menopause journey, as well as common symptoms, healthcare and lifestyle advice, all using an aligned set of signs to explain the terms.

This is in addition to the free videos of the workshops we ran live with BID, covering topics from understanding the menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to how food and exercise can help you manage menopause symptoms, as well as sleep, loss of libido and contraception. All workshops were delivered in English by a menopause specialist doctor from My Menopause Centre, with BSL interpreters.

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References

University of Wolverhampton, Menopause Drop in Forums for D/deaf and hard of hearing women, November 2018 & March 2019
Traverse Research, D/deaf audience in the UK, 2019
The online resources were developed in collaboration with the D/deaf community, BID Services, BSL interpreters from BID Services, medical experts from My Menopause Centre and Sarah Bown and Kristiaan Dekesel, specialists in Interpreting and D/deaf Studies from the Faculty of Business, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Wolverhampton.

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