Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament
Bil Aelod Arfaethedig – Mark Isherwood AS | Proposed Member Bill - Mark Isherwood MS
Datblygu'r Bil Iaith Arwyddion Prydain (BSL) (Cymru) | Development of the British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill
Ymateb gan: Unigolyn | Evidence from: Individual
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.
Yes. We have had 20 years of policy after policy which amounts to nothing more than platitudes. Hospitals and a wide range of services still ignore the policies. Policies on their own is not going to work, there needs to be a legal clout to resolve all the barriers that Deaf BSL Signers expereience.
Deaf BSL Signers expereince barriers in the following areas, this list is just a sample and there are more areas to consisder:
- primary school education
- secondary school education
- further education
- university education
- school governors
- parent teacher evening
- hospital ward
- hospital outpatients
- hospital A&E
- hospital theatre
- mater
- GP
- dentist
- opticians
- local forums
- local consultations
- council services
- access to charitable services
- access to private dentists
- access to community classes
- access to health franchises like slim world
- collecting statistics so BSL Signers can contribute
- care homes
- accessing legal services
- accessing financial services
- remote interpreting
Not only do we need legislative support for the above we also need to protect the unique regional variation of BSL that exists in Wales that is in danger of become extinct due to the influence of English regional variations. Also poor teaching influence by the verbal English language is also damaging the integrity of the language also need protection from cultral appriopraition by private enterprise such as makaton that does more harm than good.
100 percent yes. It gives BSL Signers a clear voice and stops the access and language being ruined by those who haven't a clue but are arragont enough to say they know best such as traditional social workers who don't move with the times.
Yes
Yes
Yes.
UK Legislation now refers to BSL Signers, so it would be better for consistency. Also you don't say Welsh language users or English language users, you say welsh language speakers or english language speakers, so BSL Signers would be the appropraite equivelent. Also the word users is often associated with drug users etc.
Yes.
BSL Signers can be Deaf or Hearing, so there will be a need to differentiate between the two groups. Hearing BSL Signers are priviledged as they can switch between languages when it suits them, but they should also be allowed to sign BSL if they feel more comfortable in the language for example CODA.
Strongly agree.
WE have had over 30 years of tokensim from public services, BSL Signers are fed up of numerous consultations that have produce virtually no difference. Deaf people are fed up of platitutes and want real sustainable cost effective solutions so BSL Signers can have the same basic basic rights as everyone else. BSL signers are fed up of being treated like teh underclass citizens with no rights.
Strongly disagree.
We have had 100 of years of hearing people being arrogant enough to say they know best for deaf people, this is no longer appropriate for the modern era. There are so many underlining issues that hearing people just simply do not understand and continuously providing solutions that just don't work because they just don't understand the complexities that exists.
It should only include BSL or hands on using BSL. It should not inlude reference to SSE or Makaton because they are not languages and beyond the scope of this bill.
Education; Health; Social Care; Transport; Other Public Services used by deaf people and their families; Workplace.
Church; Funerals; Lawyers; Cancer treatments; Counselling; Families; Local community training; local community councils; local government; arts; museums, the list goes on and on and on. Hearing people take so much for granted. Everytime you use a phone or speak to someone locally BSL Signers are excluded by default and not thought about.
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.
Yes
Either a BSL Commissioner or a board of BSL Signers that would advise the existing commissioners. If a board is set up then the board must be made up of BSL Signers, it must beable to function in one language.
Yes
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.
They are all priorities. All of them are getting worse and in decline and action is needed to reverse this decline.
Yes.
Currently we have no information on the status of BSL Signers, it is not even collected in the WG stats or in the WFG reports. BSL Signers are ignored and forgotten about unless there is a legal duty.
None.
this consultation is a perfect example of why we need the BSL Act. This form is not accessible to the majority of BSL Signers, it was clearly created with out the respect or consideration for the cultural issues that exists. The quesions are osbscure and assumes that BSL Signers have the same cultural acquired knowledge that hearing people expereince from listening to others in the passing on the bus in the workplace and so on. Some of the questions will be impossible for BSL Signers to answer because they don't have the prior knowledge that you have assumed they will have.
I am lucky I am one of the few that have a reasonable standard of English.