The charity grew from a Communication Skills Project. The Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) was established in 1982 to increase the number of people gaining skills in Sign Language and Sign Language Interpreting. CACDP set up the first register of communication professionals in 1982. At first, only BSL/English interpreters were able to register but this was later expanded to include speech to text reporters, lipspeakers, notetakers and deafblind interpreters.
