Gosport MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, welcomes the Government backed British Sign Language Private Members Bill, which will provide greater rights to the deaf community.
The draft British Sign Language Bill, which received its Second Reading in the House of Commons today, has received support from the British Deaf Association and will grant legal status to British Sign Language if it becomes law.
Learning British Sign Language has become more popular than ever since Rose Ayling-Ellis’s inspiring appearances on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing programme. More than 150,000 people use British Sign Language across the UK, with around 87,000 relying on it. Enshrining the language into law, the Bill, which was brought forward by West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper, will mean that public bodies will be required to promote and facilitate the use of British Sign Language.
The title of the Bill is as follows:
“[This is] a Bill to declare British Sign Language an official language of the United Kingdom; to provide for a British Sign Language Council to promote and advise on the use of BSL; to establish principles for the use of BSL in public services [and] to require public bodies to have regard to those principles and to guidance issued by the Council; and for connected purposes.”
Commenting Caroline said:
“I am delighted that the government is supporting this Bill and going further with a package to help deaf people and British Sign Language users. This will create a societal change across the country, ensuring that deaf people will have full access to education, employment, public services and participate more within their communities.”
Caroline is encouraging her constituents in Gosport, Lee on the Solent, Hill Head and Stubbington to learn BSL from their own home, or familiarise themselves with the fingerspelling dictionary through this useful website - https://www.british-sign.co.uk/.
The full text of the Bill can be found at British Sign Language Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.