The British Deaf Association (BDA) is the largest Deaf organisation in the UK run by Deaf people. In Northern Ireland it operates as the Deaf Association of Northern Ireland. The BDA worked with over 150 Deaf people to research, record and preserve the heritage of the Deaf community in Northern Ireland, from the founding of the British Deaf and Dumb Association in the 1890s to the present day. The project explored the history of boarding school education, Deaf clubs, Deaf sports, love and marriage, and the experiences of Deaf people during the Troubles. The BDA website has details of the organisation’s current project and future events.

A DVD, Signs of our times: A sign language history of the Deaf community in Northern Ireland, was created providing multi-lingual access to this history in British Sign Language, Irish Sign Language and English. This is a unique heritage resource as it was produced by Deaf people in their first or preferred language. The project drew on over 100 reels of archive film of the Deaf community dating back to the 1930s.

Deaf volunteers developed a wide range of translation, interpretation and oral history skills. Many more people engaged with the heritage of the Deaf community in Northern Ireland, so increasing their understanding of the experiences of Deaf people in society today and in the past.