The question that we at Interpreters of Colour network get asks repeatedly is ‘Why do we need an organisation like IOCN?’ We at IOCN feel that we have a responsibility to answer that question. We can start with the stats.
The RNID state that the total number of people in the UK who use British Sign language (not necessarily as their main language) is estimated to be 151,000 and, of these, 87,000 are Deaf.