Janna Martin – Accessing the Law as a Deafblind Person
In honour of Deafblind Awareness Week 2025, I sat down with Janna Martin, a woman from Derby who was diagnosed with Ushers Syndrome more than forty years ago. In the interview, which was conducted in hands-on British Sign Language, I asked Janna about her experiences of accessing legal services as a deafblind person, what she thinks firms could do better to serve the deafblind community in the UK, and a little bit about her work with Deafblind and Usher Friends Midlands. Janna’s son William, a politics student in Sheffield, also gave some insight into his experiences of seeing his parents interact with the justice system.
Emily: Hello Janna, how are you?
Janna: Hi Emily. I’m very well thank you.
Emily: So, as you’re aware, next week (23rd-29th June) is Deafblind Awareness Week here in the UK. I’ve known you for a very long time but we rarely talk about my job. As someone who works in legal accessibility, I’d like to find out more about your experiences in accessing legal services as a deafblind person. But before we begin, I think it’s important to note that not many people have heard of Ushers Syndrome. Could you briefly explain what it is?
Janna: Of course. Ushers Syndrome affects both peoples hearing and their sight. For me, I was born deaf and then my visual frame started to narrow when I was a child. While everyone experiences Ushers differently and their senses are affected to different levels, many struggle particularly with the loss of their peripheral vision and are left with tunnel or pinhole vision. The majority of people with Ushers also have night blindness, making it very hard to see in dim or low-light situations. In my case, I have no night vision – everything is black.
Emily: That’s really interesting, thank you for explaining that. Now moving into a legal context, do you think that the law is accessible for deafblind people overall?
Janna: Well, I’ve never been to court myself so I can’t comment on that type of legal situation, but I have supported my husband through a problem to do with the law and his finances. It was held in a civil court and they provided two interpreters for my husband (who is deaf but not deafblind) who co-worked and then I had my PA beside me to translate everything into hands-on BSL so I could follow everything that was being said. It was difficult though as the conversations were very fast and had many people talking at once and so the interpreters and my PA struggled to keep up.
William: Yeah, there seems to have been a big push in improving court accessibility and training interpreters in court procedures, but not much of a focus on other areas.
Emily: Okay, so there was an attempt at accessibility but the outcomes weren’t ideal. I’d like to ask the same question, but moving away from court situations and more towards accessibility when working with solicitors. Would you say that a similar approach is taken?
Janna: I would say that my most memorable experience working with a solicitors firm came when I was working in my old job just after I’d graduated university. My employers did not treat me fairly and often tried to put me down and oppress me in a number of ways. I went to discuss my concerns with a solicitor and took an interpreter at my own expense. I felt that the solicitor, despite focusing on discrimination claims, was not deaf or deafblind aware. Keep in mind that this was back in 1996/97, but I’d say that awareness and legal accessibility for people like me was very limited.
When my husband and I went to buy a house, we could not find a deafblind interpreter and so I took my mum to translate for me into hands-on BSL. It was only when we bought our third house that we found a suitable interpreter, but I was expected to provide it myself every time.
William: I think it’s important to add that lots of places are still incredibly over-reliant on using family and friends as interpreters – especially children. They seem willing to provide interpreters for clients who are deaf (when pushed) but for deafblind clients the responsibility always seems to fall back on the person’s family which isn’t good enough.
Emily: Good point - and it’s actually a legal requirement for the firm to provide and pay for the interpreter under the Equality Act 2010, not the client. Janna, you’re obviously very involved with the Deafblind community in the Midlands. From speaking to other people with Ushers or deafblindness, would you say that your experiences are similar to that of others in your community or different?
Janna: I’d say it varies from person to person. I’ve had friends who have had particular problems when trying to access legal support when getting divorced. The drawn out process and amount of information being exchanged means that barriers to communication and a lack of deaf aware divorce solicitors can make an already emotional process very challenging. The communication breakdowns that often occur can cause delays and frustration so I think this is an area that needs particular work.
Emily: Yes, I know it’s a problem. We’re often contacted by people who need advice with family law and have struggled to find appropriate support in their area. Speaking of areas that need to improve, you spoke about a situation in 1996, almost 30 years ago. Do you think that good progress has been made since then?
Janna: I think in a lot of legal areas there has been a big improvement, largely due to the increase in the number of qualified BSL interpreters and the provision of them at meetings when a deaf client is involved. There’s also more collaboration and deaf awareness between organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau which can act as that initial contact. Furthermore, VRS systems like SignLive have made it possible for people like me to contact firms without having to prebook an interpreter or rely on a hearing family member. So overall, I think the system has improved a lot since the nineties.
Emily: That’s great to hear. But as we both know, the system isn’t perfect yet. What changes do you think firms should be looking to make to ensure their services are accessible to deafblind people?
Janna: I think solicitors, particularly those at firms that frequently work with deaf clients, should be given extra training on the unique needs of deafblind people and how to best support them. However, I also think that as every person’s needs are unique, deaf and deafblind clients should provide the solicitor with basic information about their communication preferences and things they know they struggle with so that both parties know what to expect from the meeting.
Emily: That’s a really good point. If a firm only knows that the client wants an interpreter, they may miss or overlook other ways to further support them such as legal jargon busters or changing the pace of a meeting. My firm, Culver Law, uses an accessibility tool known as the ReciteMe toolbar which allows users to change the font colour/ size, define key terms, and alter how the website page is laid out. Do you think these types of technologies are useful to deafblind people?
Janna: I think they certainly could be – especially changing the colours. I think it would depend on the individual’s vision. The key term definitions would be useful for PAs when translating websites if they aren’t sure what a word means or don’t know the sign for it.
Emily: My final question is less legal and more about your work. You’ve been a volunteer with Deafblind and Usher Friends Midlands for a long time. Could you tell me a bit more about it?
Janna: So we work to support the deafblind and Ushers community in our local area, but there are different groups across the UK. I plan monthly events and meet ups for deafblind people, their partners and/ or PAs so people can socialise and feel less isolated in the community. We support each other if anyone is having a problem, including legal issues, to signpost them to advice and qualified professionals based on our own experiences. I’ve been involved with them for fifteen years now and our attendance numbers vary from event to event, depending on the different groups they’re aimed at. We like to bring everyone together for our larger events such as our annual Christmas party as it increases peoples sense of community and allows them to socialise directly with others without the need for other people to translate.
Emily: If a deafblind person came across this article and was interested in joining, how would they contact you?
Janna: We have a Facebook group set up and we post all our event information on there. It’s written in simple English and can be easily translated by a PA if the individual is unable to use reading aids.
Emily: Amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to me!
Janna: Anytime! It’s always a pleasure.
Thank you to Janna and William for taking the time on a sunny Friday afternoon to sit and talk to me. According to the charity Sense, 10,000 people in the UK have Ushers Syndrome. Social isolation and a lack of accessible services can make life very difficult but groups like Janna’s can provide valuable support. If you are interested in finding out more about Deafblind and Ushers Friends Midlands, the link to their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1975285569404715
If you or a loved one are deafblind and are struggling to find accessible legal support, contact the ADN today at
About the ADN: The Advisers for Deaf Network (ADN) is a not-for-profit initiative which exists to increase accessibility for d/Deaf clients accessing Legal and Financial Services. The ADN blog serves as a resource for increasing awareness of the barriers faced by the d/Deaf community in accessing services and for promoting best practice in accessibility.
