Achieving legal status for British Sign Language as a Minority Language in the UK
What does this mean?
Legal status means that British Sign Language will be protected and promoted in the same way as Welsh and Gaelic. This means that information and services will have to be produced in BSL giving equal access to sign language users where there was once a barrier. It also means that in any legal or medical situation BSL must be the prime language for Deaf people this makes it clearer as services has a wide remit.
Why are we asking for this?
We want to have the right to challenge organisations that don’t provide BSL as part of their services. We also want BSL to be accepted in the same way as Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, and Cornish. Without legal status it will be easier for companies, council services and other public bodies to exclude Deaf people using BSL.
Legal status for BSL in:
