BDA Sign Community : August 2007

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August 2007

Earlier this year, Prince William and Prince Harry invited one of the British Deaf Association’s representatives to attend Princess Diana’s memorial at the Guard’s Chapel on 31st August 2007. Also attending were other organisations and causes that Diana supported before her death. I was very honoured to attend the service in my role as Chair. The British Deaf Association was likewise honoured to be involved in such an important event.

I was personally quite moved by Prince Harry’s reading, in where a personal perspective of Princess Diana was expressed from her sons William and Harry. Also during the service, the life and roles Princess Diana played before her tragic death ten years ago was touched on.

Diana’s strong support for various causes are widely known. She was important to us in her valuable role as the Patron of the British Deaf Association. We appreciated the fact that she made an effort to learn to sign and was prepared to show her skills publicly. Her support for Sign Language was just as politically important.

In 1988 Princess Diana, said: 'I am well aware of the place of British Sign Language in the lives of deaf people. It is not only their first language, it is at the heart of their culture, just as the English language is at the heart of ours.'

At BDA’s Centennial celebration event in front of a huge audience, Princess Diana was there, again signing, to the appreciation of many Deaf people. In 1992 when the Dictionary of British Sign Language was published, she wrote the forewords ‘…As a consequence of my involvement with Deaf people, I have become aware of the richness of BSL as a distinct and independent language.’

Ten years have now passed since her death; the British Deaf Association has gone through a lot since then, though the spirit of the organisation is unchanged, in where we simply strive to achieve the equality of British Sign Language in UK. Princess Diana was praised for being unflinching in supporting causes at the time when society was, and perhaps even today is, uncertain about, such as AIDS.

However, as the Right Reverend Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London who led the Memorial Service said, it is time for us to let Diana rest in peace and to remember her. I feel that it is right, that it is time for us to personally take responsibility to support our own cause, that it is time for us to step forward and work together in pushing the important value and agenda of British Sign Language forward.

At the recent Southport Congress, in August, where we presented our Statement of Intent, which was referred to in more detail in last month’s issue of SignMatters, the board announced new directions of the organisation which include the return to the values of campaigning. As part of the new directions of the British Deaf Association - we aim to be fully realised over a three year period from August 2007. I would hope that we would be able to appreciate and remember the role which Princess Diana played and how she has helped bring us into the public’s attention.

From the Congress, the mandate is also clear that British Sign Language in Education, in Bi-Lingual and Bi-Cultural approaches is undeniably important and that the British Deaf Association is asking to work with other organisations to collectively share the responsibility of the education of young Deaf people.

There may never be another like Princess Diana in our time, but in this year’s tenth anniversary, it is time now for us to look to our own future and we, the BDA, look forward to working with you all.