Blackburn Deaf Village has been featured on BBC2’s See Hear, celebrating the people, stories, and spirit behind one of the UK’s leading deaf-led communities.
The idea for the feature began when the programme’s producer came across the story of Debra Cartlidge, the chief executive of Deaf Village.
“He was really interested in learning more about Deaf Village and the work we do,” a spokesperson said.
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“After hearing about our journey, he felt it would make a great feature for See Hear.”
When the BBC crew arrived, the atmosphere was instantly warm and familiar.
“The deaf community is quite a small world, so some of the crew already knew a few of our staff, and others had heard of us through different connections,” they said.
“It created an instant sense of familiarity and warmth — it felt like old friends meeting again.”
The filming took place across a full day, with everything carefully organised in advance.
“The crew captured the heart of what Deaf Village is all about: connection, community, and pride in who we are,” they said.
“Deaf Village gives our community a true sense of belonging — a space built on shared experiences, language, and culture,” they said.
“Having everything under one roof means we can support each other in ways that celebrate our identity, rather than trying to fit into systems that weren’t designed for us.”
The team also hopes the feature helps challenge mainstream perceptions of Deaf life.
“We’re also proud to show what’s possible when inclusion is led by the community,” they said.
“The crew were in awe of what we do too.”
The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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