To add another part of it, for people using BSL, it’s akin to their mother tongue.
Being able to watch content with signing is akin to having a TV show dubbed into your native language, rather than relying on subtitles.
Edit: I just had a check, and it’s actually mentioned in the ofcom guidelines: Subtitle users reflect the full range of proficiency in English; some profoundly deaf people regard
BSL as their first language, and are less fluent in English.
The UK’s always been pretty inclusive and this law’s been around for decades, since way before subtitles were practical, or even visible on crappy old b&w CRT screens
But why is there such a legal requirement?
To add another part of it, for people using BSL, it’s akin to their mother tongue.
Being able to watch content with signing is akin to having a TV show dubbed into your native language, rather than relying on subtitles.
Edit: I just had a check, and it’s actually mentioned in the ofcom guidelines:
Subtitle users reflect the full range of proficiency in English; some profoundly deaf people regard BSL as their first language, and are less fluent in English.
The UK’s always been pretty inclusive and this law’s been around for decades, since way before subtitles were practical, or even visible on crappy old b&w CRT screens