What is The Accessibility Project by 7MediaLabs?

The Accessibility Project is a framework initiative by 7MediaLabs that connects sign language interpreters, broadcasters, and the deaf community to make sign language a first-class citizen in media delivery. It addresses the gap between what 300+ million deaf and hard-of-hearing people need and what the broadcast industry currently delivers.

What regulations require sign language in broadcasting?

Key regulations include the UK Media Act 2024 (mandating 5% BSL content for Tier 1 broadcasters with Ofcom enforcement by 2027 and penalties up to 250,000 GBP), the EU Accessibility Act (requiring all digital services to be accessible by June 2025 across 27 member states), and expanding FCC/ADA enforcement in the United States under CVAA requirements.

How can interpreters get involved with The Accessibility Project?

Sign language interpreters and signers can join the conversation to help shape quality standards, fair compensation models, and sustainable working conditions. The project actively seeks interpreter expertise to define certification frameworks and improve the industry's approach to sign language integration in media.

What sign languages does The Accessibility Project support?

The framework is designed to be universal, supporting all 140+ sign languages worldwide including BSL (British Sign Language), ASL (American Sign Language), LSF (Langue des Signes Francaise), DGS (Deutsche Gebardensprache), Auslan (Australian Sign Language), and JSL (Japanese Sign Language). The project is not UK-centric despite being driven by UK Media Act compliance timelines.

The Accessibility Project

Sign Language Is a First-Class Language. It Deserves First-Class Media.

Over 300 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people worldwide depend on sign language. New regulations demand compliance. Old workflows can't keep up. Something has to change.

300M+

Deaf & hard-of-hearing globally

140+

Sign languages worldwide

<1%

Media with SL coverage

2027

UK compliance deadline

// The Problem

An Industry That Treats Accessibility As An Afterthought

Sign language interpretation in media isn't just underserved. It's structurally neglected. The gap between what deaf audiences need and what the industry delivers is widening, even as regulation tightens.

What Deaf Viewers Face

Less than 1% of broadcast content includes sign language interpretation

When signing exists, quality varies wildly with no universal standard

Tiny picture-in-picture windows that are impossible to follow

No choice of sign language variant. BSL, ASL, LSF, DGS all treated as one

Live events are worst, often broadcast with no interpreter at all

What The Industry Struggles With

No standardized workflow exists for sign language integration into content

Interpreter shortage is real, and quality certification is fragmented

Technical delivery standards vary wildly between platforms

Compliance mandates are arriving faster than solutions can scale

AI sign language promises outpace what actually works in production today

The Compliance Clock Is Ticking

2024

UK Media Act 2024

Mandates 5% BSL content for Tier 1 broadcasters. Ofcom enforcement begins 2027. Penalties up to £250,000.

2025

EU Accessibility Act

All digital services must be accessible by June 2025. Covers streaming, OTT, and on-demand across 27 member states.

2025-26

FCC / ADA Enforcement

Expanding CVAA requirements. Growing legal precedent for sign language in digital media alongside closed captions.

2027

UK 5% BSL Deadline

Broadcasters who haven't built SL workflows will face penalties, reputation damage, and scrambled last-minute solutions.

// Our Approach

Mapping the Gaps Together

The pipeline has gaps at every stage. We're bringing the right people into the room to identify them, prototype solutions, and define the standards that don't exist yet.

Interpreter Quality

What does excellence look like? Certification standards, fair compensation, and working conditions that attract the best talent.

Authoring Workflows

Respecting the craft of interpretation while building workflows that scale. Not automation, but augmentation.

AI & Its Real Limits

AI-generated sign language is coming. But what actually works today? We're honest about the gap between promise and reality.

Delivery Standards

Every platform delivers differently. WebM, HLS, DASH, IMF. Building standards that work everywhere, for everyone.

Deaf Viewer UX

The north star. Size, position, clarity, toggle control. Designed WITH the community, not for them.

Every Language

BSL, ASL, LSF, DGS, Auslan, JSL. 140+ sign languages. The framework must be universal, not UK-centric.

// Research in Practice

What We're Prototyping

Part of mapping these gaps means building prototypes to test assumptions. These are early-stage explorations of what the workflow could look like when the pieces connect.

Authoring

Discovery

Compliance

PIP Mode

Split Mode

SL Main

// Get Involved

Your Perspective Shapes This

This project only works if the right voices are in the room. Whether you're an interpreter, a broadcaster, a deaf viewer, or a technologist, we need you.

For Interpreters & Signers

Help Us Understand What You Need

Quality standards, fair pay, sustainable working conditions. Your expertise shapes the framework. Tell us what's broken, what works, and what the industry must change.

For Broadcasters & Platforms

Get Ahead of Compliance

Media Act 2024. EU Accessibility Act. ADA. The deadlines are real and the penalties are steep. We're mapping the path from where you are to where you need to be.

For The Deaf Community

Your Voice Is the North Star

Every platform. Every language. Content that finally speaks to you. Your experience as a viewer defines what good looks like. Nothing about you, without you.

For AI & Technology

Let's Figure Out What Works

AI-generated sign language, neural avatars, machine translation. The hype is loud. We need engineers and researchers willing to be honest about where we really are.

// Upcoming Events

Join The Conversation

Workshops, Panels & Roundtables

Virtual and in-person events bringing together every perspective. Free to attend. Designed to move the needle.

LAST UPDATED: FEBRUARY 2026