BDA MANIFESTO
BSL Act UK following Scotland
Our aim is have a Sign Language Act UK reinforcing the spirit of the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015. The Act would instruct all public bodies under the jurisdiction of the UK Government to produce plans for BSL. This ensures that access to public services and information using sign language is included in all future plans by public bodies.
Deaf Children have the opportunity to have a billingual and bicultural education to improve their life-chances
Our aim is to ensure that all parents and/or carers of deaf children are made aware of local BSL/ISL facilities such as BSL/ISL classes through inclusion in the Local Offer as required by the Children and Families Act 2014. Many bilingual children do better academically due to their language development in early years which sets them up for life with a good education leading to improved employment opportunities. We want deaf children to have the same opportunities as other children.
Fairer Assessments for PIP and Access to Work for Deaf people
Many Deaf sign language users are experiencing difficulties when being assessed for Personal Independent Payments. We want those assessments to be fair and accessible in sign language to ensure the most vulnerable do not lose out on their rightful entitlements. For Access to Work we ask for fair and realistic assessments to ensure Deaf people stay in their jobs and continue to pay their taxes.
Video Relay Services and Video Relay Interpreting available 24/7
Due to recent advances in technology, many companies now offer video relay and interpreting services through via landline, cable or mobile services. We want to see this development embedded in legislation to ensure 24/7 access for all Deaf Sign Language users on par with the wider community.
Fair and independent research on Deaf education
The continuing failure of deaf children to achieve academic parity with their peers requires fair and impartial research into the education of deaf children with independent recommendations. The evidence of both the failures and successes can be used to develop future policy to improve the life-chances of all deaf children in the UK.