About Houses of Parliament
The Education and Engagement Service in the Houses of Parliament provides free training and resources to help the public engage with parliamentary processes.
Their work supports groups who are statistically less likely to engage, including women, young people aged 16–24, people from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.
Alasdair Mackenzie, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager, leads the team nationally. He began working with Victoria to increase accessibility and engagement for the Deaf community.
The Education and Engagement Service wanted to make its “How Parliament Works” training sessions more inclusive for Deaf audiences.
While interpreting had occasionally been provided in the past, these sessions had never been filmed or made available more widely.
The challenge was to reach a larger audience, improve accessibility, and strengthen engagement with the Deaf community through trusted and authentic partnerships.
“When Victoria called me, we jumped at the chance to engage with her. She was clearly passionate about the importance of Deaf customer experience.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager, Houses of Parliament
Victoria and her team provided BSL interpreters to make two How Parliament Works sessions fully accessible, and, for the first time, filmed.
This approach allowed the sessions to reach a much wider audience, extending beyond those able to attend live.
The collaboration also led to creative partnerships, including podcast discussions about accessibility, civic engagement, and inclusion.
“Victoria came to meet with the team here to tell us about the work she does with the Deaf community. After that, I visited her office to provide training on how Parliament works. Victoria invited me to join her weekly podcast that day, and I was delighted to get involved.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie
“It’s really helped us to think more about accessibility. As a result of engaging with Victoria, we want to look at using material such as film clips and getting these out to as many people as possible. Victoria is trusted in the Deaf community, and this is really important to us.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie
“We are a small team of seven and have to use commercial suppliers to support our work. It is vital for us to work with a trusted partner who can give us access to a wider audience. What’s great is that Victoria brings a wider social and community dimension to the party, and this is key for us in the work we are doing to increase engagement with Parliament.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager, Houses of Parliament
“Victoria provided interpreters to make two of our ‘How Parliament Works’ sessions accessible, which were filmed so they could reach a wider audience. This proved so successful that we plan to continue this partnership each year.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie
“Working with Victoria has helped us extend our reach, think differently about accessibility, and connect with people who were previously less likely to engage with Parliament.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie
“As a result of engaging with Victoria, we’re exploring more ways to use video and podcasts to reach Deaf audiences. Her reputation and trust within the community are invaluable.”
— Alasdair Mackenzie
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