North of the Stupid Line

A Sign Language petition was set up on the Number 10 Petitions website, recently set up to encourage e-petitions to the Prime Minster’s Office. The petition was as follows:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Introduce the teaching of British Sign Language in all UK schools.”

Details of petition:

“I can think of fewer more useful skills to teach someone than a new way of communicating, unhindered by ambient noise. Think trying to order drinks in a noisy bar, trying to hold a conversation on a train station platform with a freight train rumbling through. Of course it would also make life easier for people who rely on sign language as their primary mode of non-written communication.”

It closed on 21 February 2007, with 5,011 one signatures, enough to garner a response from the Prime Minster’s Office, as follows:

We recognise the tremendous value of British Sign Language (BSL) in helping hard of hearing pupils throughout their educational careers.

The National Curriculum, however, has been developed carefully over the years to provide young people with an entitlement to the essential knowledge and skills that will equip them for success in further education or training and in the world of work. It is important that the National Curriculum should offer a broad and balanced education, but we must avoid over-prescription of what is taught and leave sufficient time and space for schools to personalise their offer to address individual needs and aptitudes. The balance we now have is the result of extensive consultation and trialling but it is not fixed for all time and we will continue to monitor and review curriculum content at intervals to ensure that it still meets the needs of all young people.

The secondary National Curriculum is currently being reviewed in order to reduce prescription still further and to create more freedom for teachers to use their professional judgement in designing subject curricula. Across the whole of our 14-19 reform agenda we are developing further opportunities for young people to exercise choice about what they study and how, with the introduction of diplomas, apprenticeships and so on. In this context, we do not feel it would be appropriate to introduce a new statutory requirement to teach British Sign Language in all schools.

It is also worth noting that the National Curriculum does not represent all the teaching that goes on in schools. Teachers are free to introduce other experiences and subjects if they wish to do so, as long as they are also meeting the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. The SEN and Disability Act, which was introduced in September 2002, means that more disabled children are now learning in mainstream schools, where that is what their parents want. This means that schools are developing a greater understanding of the needs of disabled people and in some schools this may well lead to teachers deciding to offer sign language to help ensure a child with a hearing impairment is fully included in school life.

In conclusion therefore, it is right that schools should have the opportunity to teach BSL but we would not wish to specify that it must be taught to all pupils. We believe rather that this should remain a matter for schools to decide in view of their own local, and possibly more pressing, needs.

In relation to this response, I have a number of points to make.

1. The PM’s Office has completely missed the point. This is evident in the way they seem to think that BSL benefits hard of hearing (sic) pupils in education. Erm, hard of hearing children don’t use BSL because, well, they can still hear, somewhat.
2. The response focuses on deaf kids in schools and their use of BSL. Not kids generally. This isn’t what the petition was asking for.
3. They referred to “hearing impairment”. Nuff said.
4. Schools are developing a greater understanding of the needs of disabled people. Are they really? Shall we ask the disabled/deaf pupils? Where’s their views?
5. It’s up to the schools to decide whether to introduce teaching for BSL. How?

In summary, kids these days are being so taught so many things, that there simply isn’t enough room to include BSL on the National Curriculum. This is just another typical wishy-washy statement form the Government, that doesn’t even attempt to address the issues here.

Bring on the BSL Act. We’ll see what the PM’s Office says about it then.

Summary: Response to J’s vlog on Grumpy Old Deafies about BSL Day and the lack of activities. What has happened since BSL recognition on 18 March 2003? Is there any point advertising the fact to the Deaf community? We need a BSL Act.

There has been a very positive development this week in Wales. The Welsh Assembly has pledged £2.7million to increase the number of BSL/English Interpreters in Wales.

This is the press release:

Up to £2.7m is being made available for a scheme to increase the number of British Sign Language interpreters in Wales, which is a huge step in giving those who use the language better access to services across the country, Equalities Minister Jane Hutt announced today [Monday, 6 February].

This is the first scheme of this size in the UK and will benefit the 3,000 people in Wales who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first or preferred language.

Professional interpreters allow Deaf sign language users quicker and better access to services such as the NHS, the police and local authorities. Having to read, write or lipread a second spoken language, such as Welsh or English, in which they may have limited literacy, often leaves sign language users with poor access to information.

Making the announcement at Legal and General, Cardiff, who employ BSL users, Jane Hutt said: “Today’s announcement is a major step forward in promoting social inclusion. The problems people can face if there aren’t interpreters available cannot be underestimated. There are recorded cases where sign language users have faced severe difficulties in reporting crimes; and have had to communicate with health staff in inappropriate and undignified situations.

“Often a sign language user has to wait up to eight weeks to secure an interpreter to see their GP, or discuss their child’s education with a teacher or question a neighbour’s planning application. This cannot be right.

“That’s why we want to invest to increase the number of interpreters and are funding the scheme, BSL Futures. The funding will provide 36 posts for Apprentice Interpreters to train and get their qualifications. It will support a further nine trainee interpreters with grants to access courses. This is the first scheme of its size in the UK.

“Social inclusion and accessible services for sign language users are enormously important equality issues. This initiative will make a real difference. It’s an example of just one of the innovative ways in which the Assembly Government is tackling social inequality in Wales.”

BSL Futures is funded by £1.6m from the European Union’s Objective One programme and £1.1m match funding from the Welsh Assembly Government.  The partnership led by RNID Cymru, Deaf Association Wales and the Association of Sign Language Interpreters is already in the process of recruiting its first 10 apprentice interpreters.

The scheme will provide each apprentice interpreter with a bursary and an individually tailored, fully-supported training programme that will result in their registration as a freelance professional interpreter.

It will also:

• Train more BSL tutors to teach the language at the highest levels;
• Support colleges across Wales to develop their BSL course provision;
• Develop a postgraduate course in BSL/Spoken Language interpreting;
• Support public service providers in Wales to develop the capacity to
  deliver services in BSL.

Catrin Fletcher, Director of RNID Cymru, which represents deaf and hard of hearing people in Wales, says: “This announcement is wonderful news for sign language users in Wales. The scheme will make social inclusion a reality for sign language users by dramatically increasing the number of BSL interpreters.

“This is a really good illustration of the difference that can be made by government and the voluntary sector working together. RNID Cymru welcomes the Minister’s announcement of Welsh Assembly Government support for BSL Futures. We wholeheartedly support the scheme.”

Julie Watkins chair of the South Wales Region of the Association of Sign Language interpreters said: “We see first hand the detrimental effect that the lack of interpreters has on the sign language community. This scheme will make accessible information and participation a reality.

“It’s also a wonderful opportunity to develop the profession to ensure that sign language users have full access to services and can play a full role as equal citizens of Wales. We applaud the Assembly Government for backing recognition of BSL with funding for this innovative scheme.”

Adrian Clark, Location Director, Legal and General, Cardiff said: “We currently employ six full-time profoundly deaf staff across our business here in Cardiff. We are extremely pleased with their work and their commitment, they are a delight to have in the company. However, the distinct needs of our deaf staff mean communication is critical and we are continually frustrated by the inability to find qualified interpreters, especially at short notice, to allow them to function normally within the workplace. This announcement by the Welsh Assembly Government is very good news and cannot come soon enough.”

6 February, 2006

Note

A Cabinet Task and Finish Group, established in June 2004 and chaired by Karen Sinclair AM, investigated BSL interpreter services in Wales.  It found that that the number of appropriately qualified BSL/Spoken language interpreters in Wales was poor. The Group recommended that the Assembly Government take action to increase from 12 to 64 the number of BSL to Spoken language interpreters available in Wales.

Organisations which were members of the project partnership board that set up the scheme are: Welsh Local Government Association, Llandrillo College, Deaf Association Wales, Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People, Association of Sign Language Interpreters, ELWa, WEFO, Wales Council for Deaf People, RNID Cymru.

Legal and General currently employs six full-time profoundly deaf staff in its operation in Cardiff and is working towards achieving the RNID ‘Louder than Words’ kite mark. For more information contact Jackie Quantock, Business Communications Manager, Legal and General, 029 20 354899.

While I applaud this development, I do have a few comments to make.
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Following up on what Joe mentioned in a comment to my previous post, about the two BSL/English Interpreters struggling to keep up with the technical language during his interview at Amazon.

This led me to think: with the rise in the number of Deaf professionals now entering a specialist profession, should we be worried that there are insufficient BSL/English Interpreters with the adequate knowledge and training in order to reflect the professionalism and expertise of the Deaf person they are working for?

It is a concern I have. Because I am a good lip-reader, I sometimes understand what my terps say when they’re voicing me over. A few times now I’ve had concerns about whether they are translating things accurately.

Another problem I have is the fact that because sometimes I know exactly what word I want them to use, it can be difficult to incorporate that into my BSL, so I end up mouthing or even whispering the word.

The worry I have is that BSL/English Interpreters are not reflecting the professionalism of Deaf professionals well enough, which in turn makes colleagues, interviewers etc. uncertain as to whether we are up to the job. Is this another form of discrimination? Is this another reason to support the argument that indirect discrimination should be introduced under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995?

Summary: I discuss Jesse’s vlog in BSL, which I applaud, and encourage more individuals world-wide to post in BSL. I talk a bit about ASL and how I learnt the basics when a Malaysian penpal came to stay (you can tell I’m not a proficient ASL user!). I even hint that I may post a vlog in ASL one day, or try to.