BSL-84 Individual

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 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 give the people of wales equal rights to access health care and other facilities.

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

agree

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.

The more people who use BSL the more public awareness of the need to sign.  Access to health care is paramount but all information should be available to deaf people as well as hearing.

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.

Not sure i see the need to diferentiate, using sign language is the important point.

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.

Agree.

I feel there is a voice but it is not loud enough.  A lot more could be done.

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.

a formalised voice would give the same information to all who need the service ensuring inclusion and equallity

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

All forms of sign language not just bsl, school taught sign lanuage for all pupils,

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:

Education; Health; Social Care; Other Public Services used by deaf people and their families; Workplace; Transport.

My main concers would be health care with education a close second. xxxxxxxxxxx who is deaf had endometriosis a few years ago and had to rely on me to communicate between her health care provider to ensure she had a life saving operation.  Yes interpreters were said to be available but unfortunaley not on the day and time of her NHS appointment!!  This has been an ongoing issue throught her life and she is now in her forties. 

Eduation is the other place were early intervention is needed, if there were more awareness of the need to sign access to further education could be seemless.  How are young people supposed to access furthere educaion when they have no foundation of early education to build on?  Educational interpreters should be available for all deaf students from nursery school onwards.  This would help with integration into main society at the most formative years.

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

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.

Any and all legistiona would be of benefit to the deaf community

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.

Early years language support for deaf children and their families; Enabling deaf users/signers to lead the development of policies and implementation of services for BSL users/signers; Improving BSL provision in education; Access to interpreters in public services. Early years support for deaf children and their families would be the first stepping stone to improving educational support throughout a students life.  Access to interpreters in public service areas should be  seen as a right not an option is someone is free at the time and location.

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.

An annual report would show a progression  or the lack of on a yearly basis and provide a framework for moving forward.

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

Question 16: Anything else?

Why is Wales still on the back foot with the education and wellfare of it's deaf residents?  Xxxxxxxxxxx has had these issues throughout her life. She was born in Wales and denied any form of sign language in her early education.  We relocated to Lancashire where she was given a sign language interpreter in her classes and started acheiving academic sucess.  We then moved back to Wales where she was again denied this service and we were told that although she had been on track to take GCSE exams this would not be available in Wales. We eventually gained an interpreter in her class but not untill we had several panel meetings with multi-disciplinery input. I feel this should not have been an issue we had to battle for.