sign language: official at last
WORKERS, MAY 2003 ISSUE
ON 18 MARCH, after a campaign by Deaf people lasting over 20 years, the government finally announced official recognition of British Sign Language (BSL). In a statement, ministers said the government recognised BSL as a language in its own right. They also said careful consideration will be given to any proposals that the Council of Europe's Charter for Regional or Minority Languages might make. This Charter protects minority languages such as Welsh and is considering how that might be achieved for sign languages.
Several European countries already recognise their indigenous sign languages. Importantly, the British recognition will be supported by £1 million funding. Initiatives will include projects to raise awareness of BSL particularly among employers and service providers, increase opportunities to study BSL to a professional level, and research Deaf people's take-up and experiences of accessing services.
The statement was welcomed by Deaf organisations, which have waged a determined campaign. The British Deaf Association said they were delighted to receive the news and commented, “There is still a long way to go before equality is achieved, but this is a milestone achievement for the Deaf community.”
The BDA has rescheduled its annual conference, which had been based on the recognition campaign, so that it can be used to plan the next steps. To mark the recognition of BSL, the Deaf community, who use a capital letter to indicate their cultural identity, held a day of celebration on 12 April.
Use of British Sign Language was first recorded in 1575. It is a visual-gestural language with its own vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Around 250,000 people use BSL on a daily basis and it is the first or preferred language of 70,000 deaf people, but there are only 182 fully qualified BSL/English interpreters.