On Monday 23rd May, dozens of Parliamentarians attended a VRS Today! event in the House of Commons, to pledge their support for equal access to telecoms for British Sign Language (BSL) users, through universal Video Relay Services (VRS).

BSL users from across the country came to the event in the House of Commons

The event was hosted by Rosie Cooper MP (Labour), Tom Brake MP (Liberal Democrat) and Peter Aldous MP (Conservative). Mr Aldous addressed the audience, and called on MPs of all parties to work together on this important issue for Deaf people all over the UK.

A number of BSL speakers from constituencies all over the country talked with their local MPs about the campaign, as well as speaking to other MPs and peers who had been invited to the event. The Parliamentarians were also shown videos about how VRS works, spoke to VRS providers, and signed a pledge card in support of the VRS Today! campaign.

Over 100 MPs have now pledged their support through Early Day Motion 1438 and many MPs have written to the Communications Minister Ed Vaizey on behalf of their Deaf constituents.

Thanks to your help, the Government has been under more and more pressure to make universal VRS a reality, but there is still plenty more we can do! Visit www.vrstoday.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out more, or search for ‘VRS Today’ on Facebook, Youtube or Twitter.

Most importantly, please tell all your friends and family about the campaign, and ask them to sign the petition, or write to their MP.