MS proposes British Sign Language Bill in the Senedd

Mark Isherwood MS, the Shadow Minister for North Wales, has today (February 24) introduced a Member’s Legislative Proposal for a British Sign Language Bill for Wales.

The BSL (Scotland) Act was passed in 2015, marking a new era in the deaf community’s campaign for the legal recognition of BSL across the UK. The Northern Ireland Assembly has also recently recommenced preliminary legislative work on both British and Irish Sign Languages.

Mr Isherwood’s proposed Bill seeks to ensure that the deaf community and people with hearing loss have a voice in the design and delivery of services to ensure they meet the needs of service users, with actions including the establishment of a BSL National Advisory Group.

Speaking in today’s debate on his proposal, Mr Isherwood said:

“In October 2018 calls were made at the North Wales ‘Lend Me Your Hears 2018’ Conference for British Sign Language – BSL – Legislation in Wales, looking at the 2015 BSL (Scotland) Act and their national BSL Plan published in October 2017, establishing a National Advisory Group including up to 10 deaf people who use BSL as their preferred or first language. Although the Wales Act 2017 reserves equal opportunities to the UK Government, Senedd lawyers state that a BSL (Wales) Bill would be compliant if it related to the Exceptions listed in it.

“The British Deaf Association has told me that my proposed Bill is very important for its deaf members and supporters in Wales, who have been campaigning for a BSL Act in Wales for several years.

“Although it has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to develop a new BSL Charter for Wales, it tells me that my ‘planned BSL Bill is an enormous step forward and, if it’s anything like the BSL Bill in Scotland, will receive unanimous and total support of all the parties. It’s a win-win’.“

He added:  

“My proposed Bill would make provision to encourage the use of BSL in Wales, and improve access to education and services in BSL. In 2019 ‘Deffo! Wales Deaf Youth Forum’ submitted a petition to the Senedd to improve access to Education and services in BSL.

“It stated the disappointment that nothing has happened since then and that ‘… one of the most important things is that BSL starts in early years, and is continued through the whole of educational development’.” 

“On National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) Cymru’s advice, the Welsh Government established an advisory group on access to the new curriculum for BSL users and develop guidance, which is currently out for consultation. However, an independent review of opportunities for families of young deaf children to learn sign language, published by the Welsh Government, confirmed NDCS’s view that opportunities are far too limited and that many families of deaf children want to learn to sign to aid communication with their deaf child, but feel unable to do so.

“As the RNID states, a BSL Bill would not only be a means to an end, but also act as a platform to ensure improved services for the deaf community and people with hearing loss, and improve the support currently offered so people can fully engage in things like employment and education.

“As a deaf constituent told me: ‘This BSL Bill is important. BSL is a language in its own right, with its own grammar and vocabulary, which enables many of our deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing citizens to learn, work, be creative, live life to full and make their contribution to our culture and our economy’.”