Free BSL learning for hospitality teams available ahead of Deaf Awareness Week 2026

A free British Sign Language (BSL) course is spotlighting hospitality’s role in breaking down communication barriers for the UK’s 11m deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

Access Hospitality offers the British Sign Language (BSL) Phrases for Hospitality online course through CPL Learning, with the training being particularly pertinent ahead of Deaf Awareness Week 2026, taking place on 4-10 May.

This year’s Deaf Awareness Week is themed ‘Right to Understand: Together We Break Barriers’, encouraging industries and individuals to champion inclusion and accessibility. CPL Learning’s free BSL course responds to that challenge, equipping hospitality teams with the essential signing skills to communicate confidently with deaf and hard-of-hearing guests and colleagues.

The course features a unique collaboration with Sam Egerton-Kemp, also known as ‘the Deaf Chef’, an advocate for deaf awareness in hospitality with more than 223,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, Threads and Facebook.

Egerton-Kemp guides learners through a series of key hospitality phrases in BSL, covering real-world scenarios including welcoming guests, taking orders, navigating dietary requirements and handling service interactions, all presented in an engaging, accessible format designed for busy hospitality professionals.

“I’m incredibly proud to be part of this project,” said Egerton-Kemp. “Hospitality is for everyone, and for deaf guests, simply being acknowledged in BSL can transform their entire experience. This course gives teams the confidence to take that first step, and it’s free, so there’s no barrier to getting started.”

Deaf or hard of hearing awareness and communication training in hospitality remains limited, meaning a significant proportion of guests regularly encounter avoidable barriers when dining out, visiting pubs, or staying in hotels.

The BSL Phrases for Hospitality course addresses this gap directly. Bite-sized, practical and designed for all levels, the course requires no prior knowledge of BSL and can be completed in a single sitting, making it suitable for team briefings, induction programmes, or individual self-development.

Access Hospitality’s commercial director Rob Paterson said: “Deaf Awareness Week is a vital moment for our industry to reflect on inclusion. We are committed to making learning accessible for everyone, whether that’s our learners, or the guests they serve. This free course is our contribution to the ‘Right to Understand’ campaign, and we hope teams across hospitality take full advantage of it.”