Liberal Democrats to debate the legal status of British Sign Language at the Autumn Conference in Glasgow

On Tuesday 17th September, between 9.45-10.15 there will be a debate on the legal status of British Sign Language. Here is the tecoxt of the motion, if you know anyone who will be going to the conference, please encourage them to come to the debate and vote for the motion.

Conference notes:

A. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the UK in 2009.

B. That British Sign Language (BSL) is used by some 125,000 deaf adults in the UK and an estimated 20,000 deaf children.

C. That in 1997 the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) recognised that deaf people view themselves as a cultural and linguistic minority.

D. That deaf people still do not have full access to information and services in the UK as hearing people do, particularly in the areas of education, health and employment.

E. That BSL was recognised as a language on 18th March 2003 by the UK government but has not been given any legal protection in the UK.

F. That deaf people who use BSL currently rely on the Equality Act to secure access to information and services in their own language and that 'reasonable adjustments' do not allow for an automatic right to direct access or to information provision in their own language.

Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to the principle that deaf children, young people and adults are entitled to:

I. The right positively to identify with their own language(s), and to have this respected; regardless of minority or majority language status.

II. The right to sign language; to learn it and to have it developed in formal schooling as a language of instruction by qualified educators.

III. The right to learn one of the languages of the UK and to have sign language recognised as an official language of the UK.

IV. The right to maintain, and have respectfully treated, their identity and culture as deaf individuals.

Conference further expresses Liberal Democrat belief in the principle that deaf people as a collective community have the general rights to:

a) Exist as a linguistic minority community.

b) Celebrate, promote, develop and teach sign language; and to create educational settings where the deaf community can influence the curricula.

c) Be represented in political contexts as a group.

d) Be able to independently and autonomously handle and decide on community matters with regard to culture, education, social affairs and religion.

e) Have financial resources to achieve such aims, noting the government's responsibility to support deaf people and minority groups.

Conference therefore calls for Liberal Democrat Ministers to press within government for:

1. The recognition of BSL as one of the UK's official languages, commanding equal respect and protection as with Welsh and Gaelic.

2. The achievement of better awareness of information needs and of services for BSL users, particularly within the fields of health, education and employment.

3. The protection of the linguistic integrity of the language.

4. A requirement that interpreters, Communication Support Workers and Teachers of the Deaf should all achieve NVQ Level 3 standard of language proficiency.

5. The promotion of the cultural aspects of BSL and the deaf community as part of the UK's national heritage.