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The British Deaf Association (BDA) is proud to endorse LumoTV’s 91% Mandate Campaign, which calls for greater representation of Deaf talent, British Sign Language (BSL), and Deaf-led storytelling across the UK’s screen industries.

As the UK’s leading organisation representing Deaf people who use BSL, the BDA recognises the urgent need to address the systemic underrepresentation of Deaf people in media. The “91%” reflects the overwhelming proportion of Deaf children born into hearing families, many of whom face significant barriers to accessing Deaf culture, language, and identity. Increasing Deaf-led content is therefore not only a matter of representation, but of cultural transmission and safeguarding.

Through extensive engagement with Deaf communities across the UK, the BDA has identified strong and consistent support for the recognition and promotion of Deaf cultural practices. Among these, BSL humour stands out as one of the most valued and widely recognised forms of Deaf cultural expression.

In our submission to the UK Government’s Living Heritage Inventory, we highlighted BSL humour as a vital and endangered element of Deaf cultural life. This unique form of expression is “comedy for the eyes”, relying on visual language, embodiment, and shared cultural experience to create meaning and connection. It plays a crucial role in strengthening Deaf identity, community cohesion, and intergenerational knowledge-sharing.

The inclusion of LumoTV’s “Deaf Funny” content—clearly labelled and featuring a diverse range of Deaf comedians and performers—is an excellent example of how Deaf culture can be both authentically represented and made accessible to wider audiences. By showcasing multiple contributors, it reflects the richness and diversity of Deaf humour as a widely practised cultural activity.

Initiatives like the 91% Mandate are essential to ensuring that Deaf cultural practices such as BSL humour are not only preserved, but given the platform they need to thrive.

As our Living Heritage work highlights, while visibility of BSL content is increasing, the transmission of Deaf culture remains at risk without sustained investment and representation.

“The 91% Mandate is a powerful call for change,” said Dr Robert Adam, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the British Deaf Association. “Deaf people’s stories, language and humour deserve to be seen and valued across UK media. Campaigns like this are essential to ensuring our culture is not only preserved, but thrives.”

The BDA therefore strongly supports LumoTV’s campaign and calls on broadcasters, commissioners, and policymakers to:

• Increase Deaf-led and BSL-presented programming
• Invest in Deaf creative talent across all genres, including comedy
• Recognise Deaf culture as an integral part of the UK’s living heritage

By backing the 91% Mandate, we take an important step towards a media landscape that truly reflects the linguistic and cultural diversity of the UK.

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