Lloyds Bank launches pioneering British Sign Language online translation tool

• Lloyds Bank is the first UK organisation to offer British Sign Language (BSL) website translation for Deaf customers
• New feature launched on International Day for People with Disabilities and is part of Lloyds drive to remove barriers for customers who request support

Lloyds Bank is the first UK organisation to offer pop up sign language videos to translate online text.

The new service will provide easier access to essential financial information to break down some of the language barriers faced by Deaf customers. BSL is the first language for many Deaf people with its own grammar and syntax which means that written material is often not accessible. It is hoped that providing the online BSL videos will open up access to banking for deaf people and those with hearing impairments, giving them with the ability to make informed financial decisions. *

The free service will allow customers to receive BSL translations of the Lloyds Bank website using Signly Browser Extension assistive technology. **

The signed videos are pre-recorded to cover the most popular Lloyds Bank webpages including information on products and services and online banking.

Image 1 – Example of Signly BSL video on the Lloyds Bank homepage

David Oldfield, Executive Sponsor for Disability said: “We’re always thinking of innovative ways to help our customers bank with us in ways that suit them. The new Signly features are a fantastic example of using technology to boost accessibility to financial services and opening doors for customers with hearing impediments to access the information many of us take for granted.”

Additional support launched in 2019

Be My Eyes helps connect blind and visually impaired customers with their finances

Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers who are blind or have low vision can now connect securely with the bank through the Be My Eyes app. The tool provides visual assistance for everyday tasks, including explaining bank statements, checking and confirming transactions and managing money.

Be My Eyes is a free mobile app for iOS and Android which has grown to become the largest online community for people who are blind or have low vision across 150 countries. It works by giving users free access to a network of sighted volunteers and company representatives who provide visual assistance for the task at hand.

Access to the help platform is available through a live video connection from the rear-facing camera on the customer’s smartphone using the Be My Eyes smartphone app on either iOS or Android.

Image 2 – Example of Be My Eyes app on the Lloyds Bank homepage

UK’s first autism friendly bank

Earlier this year Lloyds Banking Group received the National Autistic Society’s (NAS) prestigious Autism Friendly Award, marking the commitment to become the UK’s first autism friendly bank and improving the customer experience for autistic customers and their families in over 1,600 branches.

To achieve the award, the Group has educated colleagues in branches on how best to support autistic customers. NAS carried out an extensive review of Lloyds Banking Group’s branch and telephone customer service information. This included reviewing branch layouts to make sure that they work for autistic people, ensuring website information was clear and concise, and educating customer facing colleagues to better understand their autistic customers’ needs such as turning music off to reduce the sensory impact on customers. The Group continues to look at ways it can help autistic customers.

Watch the BSL press release.