Deaf people want to be heard on sign language
Leading deaf consultants are urging the UK Government to end the “life-threatening” decision to exclude live British Sign Language (BSL) and English interpreters during daily coronavirus announcements.
Unlike Scotland, the UK Government does not offer a BSL service that is both live and available on mainstream TV channels during government daily briefings.
According to the British Deaf Association, this could exclude around 151,000 deaf people across the UK.
Derek Todd, BSL consultant for deafscotland, claimed the lack of Bsl-accompanied content had life-damaging consequences during the pandemic.
He said: “This is a life-threatening issue … many deaf people are frightened to go to the shops in case they accidentally break the rules.”
In 2015, Scotland introduced the British Sign Language Act, which enforced legal obligations on the government to provide more sign language content. Aspokespersonfrom the Scottish Government said: “Scotland was the first country in the UK to legislate for its indigenous sign language, and we are proud to be a global leader in this. Ensuring that our daily briefings are accessible to the BSL community is of paramount importance to us.”
Janis Macdonald, chief officer for deafscotland, said: “It might seem like a petty issue, but the reality for us is that languageandcommunicationare fundamental human rights and therefore, in key circumstances, it’s crucial that emergency announcement are accessible to all.”
Mr Todd added: “BSL users are four or five times more likely to suffer from depression compared to hearing people, so if you provide communication then the BSL community will feel a lot more comforted.” People can gain access to signed coronavirus updates through resources such as BBC online, but many are concerned about the lack of sign language at briefings.
Sylvia Simmonds, who created a petition to require the government to provide live sign language, said the government and broadcasters should do more to include BSL on major channels. A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government is committed to building a digitally inclusive society and aims to ensure that Covid-19 media announcements are accessible for all UK audiences.”