Joe Wicks workout videos made more accessible thanks to Cambridgeshire charity

His fitness workouts are now accessible to even more people thanks to the Cambridgeshire Deaf Association which has now added British Sign Language and subtitling to his videos.

The aim is to help more deaf people in Cambridgeshire and beyond to stay fit and active during the lockdown and have fun while they are doing it.

Andy Palmer from the Cambridgeshire Deaf Association (CDA) said: “Jo was great about it and he immediately saw the benefit of it for the deaf and hard of hearing. It’s important for everyone to keep fit during this difficult time and this will give them access to Jo’s incredible workouts.

“Lots of online information is not accessible to sign language users and many deaf and hard of hearing people are feeling isolated during this lockdown, so we are delighted that the fitness coach is working with us on this.

“Matt Wheeler from Chatteris undertook the translation at home with a green screen, and volunteer transcriber Susan Williams from Quick Brown Fox transcription service provided the subtitles for free. I really cannot thank them enough.”

The CDA supports more than 300 deaf and hard of hearing people in the county through advocacy, support, personal care and social and sports activities. It now has more than 200 accessible British Sign Language videos on its website on a range of topics.

The Cambridgeshire Deaf Association was established more than 100 years ago and is at the heart of the deaf community in the county, with many of its staff either deaf or hard of hearing – 85 per cent of its 35 staff are profoundly deaf.

During the lockdown the charity is:

. Providing volunteers to deliver food and medication

. Organising online events to beat isolation with more than 120 deaf people getting involved

. Creating online content to encourage exercise

. Supporting deaf people facing financial hardship

. Keeping in touch with hundreds of isolated deaf people

. Handling record numbers of referrals for its services

. Providing emotional support and signposting to those in crisis.

Like many charities at this time CDA is struggling for funding and is appealing for donations, which can be made at: http://cambsdeaf.org/donate.