BSL-03 Swansea Council

Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament

Bil Aelod Arfaethedig 033 – Mark Isherwood AS | Proposed Member Bill 033 - Mark Isherwood MS

Datblygu'r Bil Iaith Arwyddion Prydain (BSL) (Cymru) | Development of the British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill

Ymateb gan: Cyngor Abertawe | Evidence from: Swansea Council

The need for legislation

The British Sign Language Act 2022 requires the UK Government to issue guidance about the promotion and facilitation of the use of British Sign Language (BSL). This however only applies in England and not to the Welsh Government or public bodies in Wales such as councils or the NHS.  The British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill aims to place equivalent specific duties on the Welsh Government and public bodies in Wales.

Question 1: Do you think there is a need for this legislation? Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Yes this legislation is needed to ensure that there is equality in service provision, including education, health, public services and in the workplace for deaf people and the deaf community. This legislation will support our Human Rights and Equality commitments, our Human Rights based approach, our work as the only Human Rights City in Wales and our work under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Question 2: Do you agree or disagree with the goals that the Bill seeks to achieve? Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Yes agree with the goals the bill seeks to achieve. Barriers to service provision should be removed so that the deaf community can access every service they need and be treated in the same way as English and Welsh speakers. Deaf people should also have a voice in the design and delivery of services to ensure their needs of met.

British Sign Language

Question 3: Do you agree that the Bill should include proposals to promote and facilitate the use of BSL and its tactile forms?

 

Yes

Question 4: Do you agree that the Bill should support the various Welsh regional dialects of BSL?

 

Yes

Question 5: Do you think that the term ‘BSL users’ should be replaced with ‘BSL signers’, recognising that BSL is a language which includes both deaf and hearing signers? Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Don’t know.

 

This would be for the deaf community to decide.

Question 6: Do you think that the term ‘deaf BSL signers’ can be used when referring to BSL users/signers who are medically or audiologically deaf?  Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Don’t know.

 

This would be for the deaf community to decide.

Deaf Communities

Question 7: Do you agree or disagree that deaf communities:

a)     currently have a voice in the design and delivery of the public services that they use? Please tick the answer that most applies and provide any comments.

 

Strongly disagree

b)    should have a formalised voice in the design and delivery of the public services that they use, especially ones targeted at deaf people. Please tick the answer that most applies and provide any comments.

 

Strongly agree

Deaf people should have a formalised voice in the design and delivery of services they use to ensure those services are fit for purpose.

Question 8: Are there any specific communication methods used by deaf people that you would like the Bill to reference/include?

 

This would be for the deaf community to suggest.

Barriers that exist for deaf people

Question 9: What do you believe are the main barriers that currently exist for deaf people and/or their families in the following areas. Please tick all that apply and provide information/examples on each area:

 

This would be for the deaf community to answer.

Establishing a BSL Commissioner for Wales

The Bill proposes to establish a BSL Commissioner who would promote and facilitate the use of BSL, and would have the same powers as other minority language Commissioners such as in the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.

Question 10: Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to establish a BSL Commissioner for Wales, and, do you have any different suggestions or alternatives? Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Yes.

 

This would be necessary in order to achieve what the legislation has set out to do. It would be useful to have guidance, support and additional financial resources from the commissioner to enable the changes that would need to take place within the authority.

Question 11: The proposed remit of the Commissioner would be to:

§    formulate BSL standards;

§    establish a BSL Advisory Panel;

§    produce reports every 5 years in BSL, Welsh and English on the position of BSL in that period;

§    provide guidance and a process for public bodies to promote and facilitate BSL in their respective domains;

§    establish a procedure for the investigation of complaints.

Do you agree with the proposed remit of the Commissioner, and are there any other provisions you would like to include in the Commissioner’s remit? Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Agree with the proposed remit.

Question 12: Do you agree that the BSL Commissioner and the BSL Advisory Panel members should be fluent users/signers?

 

Yes

Question 13: Do you think that the proposed BSL Commissioner and Advisory Panel should prioritise the following. Please tick all that apply and provide reasons for your answer.

 

Enabling deaf users/signers to lead the development of policies and implementation of services for BSL users/signers; Early years language support for deaf children and their families; Improving BSL provision in education; Access to interpreters in public services.

 

Education is key to increasing the number of BSL users and understanding the needs of the deaf community.

Coproduction with deaf people/signers on the development of policies and implementation of services which affect them is crucial to ensure equality and the prevention/removal of barriers.

 

Question 14: Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to place a duty on the Welsh Government to prepare and publish an annual BSL report? Please provide reasons for your answer.

 

Yes.

 

Yes this would help with knowledge of progress, data and benchmarking.

Question 15: Are there any other issues that you would like to raise about the Bill and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum?

 

Resources would be a key issue as a local authority who face cuts and a diminishing budget, the resources to implement some of these changes would require extra funding.