Deaf Expo and BDA Conference 2026

May 15th and 16th this year saw the UK’s first ever national exhibition for the Deaf at the Birmingham NEC! The British Deaf Association also held their annual conference there. So, of course, I had to attend!

I met up with my friend Jemma, a fellow hearing-aid wearer and fluent signer. We enjoyed visiting, I think, every stall at the expo and speaking with people from companies supporting Deaf people, Deaf-led charities, Deaf schools, interpreting companies and anything else you can think of that’s related to Deafness! It was absolutely wonderful and I particularly enjoyed being surrounded by signing - it’s not often you’re in a massive room with so many signers at once, even at Deaf Club! I met lots of fantastic people and stored away so many potential opportunities.

As well as the Expo, the BDA had some really interesting talks at their conference, some of which I managed to get to. It was a whole different world, seeing so much thought and academia around BSL and Deafness, that was incredibly thought-provoking.

I can’t wait for next year’s event and will try to attend both days, as it was hard to fit in everything I wanted to in just one!

Suzi and Jemma enjoy the Expo!