Sign language Bill will be of significant interest to a great many people
I READ with interest Magnus Gardham's column the ("Tensions mount on Holyrood priorities", The Herald, May 16), especially where it is stated that "MSPs will have their hands full, then, but it is doubtful that their work will capture the public imagination."
I would beg to differ on this in relation to one of the bills he mentions in his article - the British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill.
Your readers may not realise the significance of this Bill, not just for British Sign Language (BSL) users in Scotland, but also for those who use BSL in the rest of the UK. Scotland is leading the way in the UK with this Bill which, if it is enacted, will "promote, and facilitate the promotion of, the use and understanding of the sign language known as British Sign Language". It is sending a clear message across Scotland that deaf BSL users have their own language and that the Scottish Government recognises this and are willing to support and promote the use of BSL. As an organisation, the Scottish Council on Deafness fully supports the Bill that Mark Griffin put forward, and the work that the Scottish Government has done to strengthen it.
The article states: "MSPs will have their hands full ... but it is doubtful their work will capture public imagination." The Scottish Parliament set up a Facebook page so that BSL users, their families, carers and supporters can all have their say about the Bill, in BSL and in English. This is an active page that changes on an hourly basis. People have become engaged with the parliamentary process and are keen to learn more. The consultation on the proposal for this Bill attracted the most responses to any bill proposed either by the Scottish Government or an MSP in the last 16 years.
If the Bill is enacted, it will have an impact not just on the lives of Deaf BSL users, their families and supporters but also on the one million people in Scotland who have a hearing loss. Bills can and do fire up the imagination of the public. This Bill has and will continue to do so as it continues its progress through the parliamentary process. This support has been garnered with little support so far from the Scottish media.
Mandy Reid,
Policy and Research Officer,
Scottish Council on Deafness,
Central Chambers Suite 62,
93 Hope Street,
Glasgow.