BSL – British Sign Language video:
Vimeo Video https://www.vimeo.com/144617749
ISL – Irish Sign Language video:
Vimeo Video https://www.vimeo.com/144635766
Text transcript from videos:
- Following our Civic Reception at Belfast City Hall, some BDA staff with WFD President Colin and WFDYS President Cecilia met with Junior Ministers from the Dept of OFMDFM – they were Jennifer McCann and Emma Pengelly and the meeting took place in Stormont Parliament Building.
- Both Junior Ministers pledged the full support of the OFM/DFM Office to help BDA to get a BSL/ISL Bill underway in Northern Ireland.
- BDA Chair Terry Riley thanked the Ministers for the recognition of BSL/ISL by the NI Assembly in 2004. However, he pointed out that it has not really made much different to the everyday lives of Deaf people in NI.
- WFD President Colin Allen then talked about the UN CRPD convention and that the UK Government has already signed this convention but has not taken the steps that some other countries have taken in giving sign language legal status.
- The meeting ended with a commitment by the Ministers to work with BDA and their colleague Minister Ní Chuilín to get the ball rolling with regard to a BSL/ISL Bill in NI.
