Dare we dream the dream of BSL as equal as other native UK languages?

Just imagine for a moment in your head, that the British Sign Language Act has been passed, however long or hard that passage had been to reach the statue book, that the Act follows on the successful Welsh Language Act (1993) and now BSL is finally and truly equal to English, Welsh, Gaelic's for all of us BSL users.

Imagine the great excitement and the ‘coming outs' of previously invisible Deaf people and the curiosity of the media on this previously unacknowledged fourth language of the United Kingdom, also the anxieties from the public services and the other service providers at being expected to provide access in BSL. This new visual language to be available on the national curriculum in schools within the set timescale and would be optional for those who wish to learn it, the same as French and German.

Leeway was agreed for the gradual introduction of a Bilingual approach subject to the resources and staffing, also conditional, is that families of Deaf children who participated in the Bilingual education would gain support in accessing BSL and suitable resources.

Picture that there is already a statutory Government funded BSL national board with members of the board who are impartial but guiding the principle of the protection and the promotion of BSL, their mandate also allowing them to ensure public bodies meet the standard required. The annual funding for the board is proportionate to the £12 million annually available to the Welsh Language Board, while the BSL board are said to be spending part of the money on research and working with other organisations on developing teaching resources.
Professional training for interpreters is growing with a wider range of availabilities and choice and no longer disproportionately used for ATW and Health/Police/Social Services. Now nothing is thought beyond the scope of interpreting, shopping for mortgages and booking holidays. Due to the pressures of the changing market by the exponentially fast increasing demands on more flexibility and variety of booking requirements, Interpreting professions and consumer groups are looking at the alternatives to the previously standard two/three hours' minimum booking and other relevant issues. As well as technology allowing BSL relay interpreting to be carried out at any time through a standard PC with webcam and broadband connection.

Dare we dream the above scenario that could possibly come about through the BSL Act? Even if the road is going to be long and rocky, if we do desire it enough, we must work together to make this wondrous, ambitious dream a reality. Even only a partial achievement of a dream is far, far better than the present shocking continuing inequality of BSL on a day-to-day basis in the present democratic country of ours, that we rightly call our home.

March 18th 2008 will be the fifth anniversary of BSL recognition which the BDA, having supported and celebrated the statement from the Government, as announced by Andrew Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions made in the House of Commons. This is an important step, but only a very small one to realise our full equality in everyday life and on a meaningful scale. Our AGM on 15th March 2008 at Bristol Deaf Centre, will also have a BSL Seminar ‘The future of BSL?' preceding the AGM and I am looking forward to the debate and to reflect on where we should go with BSL.

The BDA regained membership of United Kingdom Council on Deafness (UKCoD) last year and is also involved with All Parliamentary Party Group on Deafness (APPG), and as Chair of the BDA I formed part of the delegation to meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on 6th February 2008 at his office in the Houses of Parliament, along with other key delegates: Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of NDCS and Chair of UKCOD and Jeff McWhinney, Managing Director of Significan't and RNID Trustee. The meeting was arranged after Malcolm Bruce the Chair of APPG asked the PM to meet the delegations on the issues of concerns to the Deaf Community.

We understood before the meeting that the process would not be quick and straightforward; we had to keep to a very brief time and cover only superficial but relevant issues covering key examples of access, signing family and language equality modelled on the Welsh Language and regarding interpreting. Gordon Brown asked his minister Andrew Adonis to work with the delegates and the All Parliamentary Party on Deafness to look into the support for deaf children and hearing families. The cause of providing BSL to hearing families of Deaf children is something that the BDA will fully support and the delegation agreed after the meeting with PM, that this is just the first step to ensure our wider ambition is going to be a key part of the process of our engagement with the Government.

We need to raise our flag, roll up our sleeves, contact our MPs, and fully engage as much as possible with the political process as the Welsh themselves did for a number of years, before their eventual success of actual legalisation and the equality of the Welsh language. Do not be disappointed that we are not going to easily achieve our shared ambition; the fifth anniversary of BSL recognition is a worthy landmark for us to reflect on as individuals and a Community as to how we can reshape our place in the UK.