‘Our culture is rich and we need our own space’: the fight to build a permanent centre for Deaf people

In the United Kingdom, there are 18 million individuals who experience hearing difficulties, yet there remains no dedicated facility specifically catering to the Deaf community. Amanprit Arnold, an urban planner and activist, has taken it upon herself to address this gap. Born deaf and utilizing hearing aids before receiving cochlear implants at 21, Arnold acknowledges that the acoustics within cafes can be particularly challenging for her to navigate due to her membership in the Deaf community.

Despite the prevalence of 18 million people with hearing issues in the UK, Arnold asserts that deaf people often feel marginalized, even when they are not physically apart from others. While recent years have witnessed increased representation of deaf individuals in various forms of media, including actor Rose Ayling-Ellis' triumph on Strictly Come Dancing and the critical acclaim received by films such as Sound of Metal and Coda, there still lacks a designated center for Deaf arts in the UK.

Arnold aims to rectify this situation through the DeafCity Hub campaign, which seeks to establish or repurpose a building utilizing DeafSpace principles, a set of architectural guidelines designed for deaf-friendly environments. Currently, the project has secured a "meanwhile" space for a year, in collaboration with Westminster city council and the Oxford Street Development Corporation, allowing Arnold to demonstrate the necessity of such a center.

Arnold, whose professional background lies in urban planning and strategy, also brings an activism perspective to her work. Her family's history includes her father serving as race relations director for Birmingham city council during the 1990s and her grandfather being a trade unionist and antiracism advocate. Her design agency, Disability Urbanism, focuses on creating accessible environments for people with disabilities.

Arnold envisions the DeafCity Hub as a revival of a 1986 plan for an International Deaf Cultural Centre in London that ultimately failed to materialize. The 1980s were a significant period for activists, particularly in the United States, marked by Deaf civil rights protests, the first Oscar awarded to a deaf actor (Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God in 1986), and the establishment of Gallaudet University – the first university specifically for deaf individuals.

In the UK, the BBC launched See Hear, a current affairs program for deaf people, and improved TV subtitle provisions. The British Sign Language Act received royal assent in 2022, officially recognizing British Sign Language (BSL) as a British language in England, Scotland, and Wales, though a GCSE qualification in BSL remains unattainable until 2028.

Arnold emphasizes that the existence of dedicated spaces for various marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community in Soho, serves as a powerful example of cultural affirmation. She believes that creating DeafCity Hub as a deaf-owned and deaf-led arts space would similarly assert the richness and authenticity of Deaf culture.

The original blueprint for the International Deaf Cultural Centre, complete with plans for a Deaf history archive, theater, exhibition space, bar, quiet room, and hostel, is a testament to Arnold's aspiration. One of the key principles of DeafSpace is the recognition that sign language is not merely a translated version of spoken language but rather a complex, spatial language that thrives in 3D environments and relies on facial cues.

By incorporating DeafSpace principles into the design of DeafCity Hub, Arnold aims to provide a rich, immersive experience for deaf individuals, enabling them to fully engage with their culture and language.