Alice Barber, Intercalating
The British Sign Language (BSL) Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons on the 28th of January 2022. (UK Gov. 2022) The Bill, first introduced in June 2021 by MP Rosie Cooper, aims for BSL to be a recognised language with full legal status. (McSorley, C. 2022) It also mandates increased BSL accessibility in public services, including the NHS. Although BSL was formally recognised 19 years ago, the government has failed to follow up on promises to make it a legal language, which is necessary to improve accessibility for many D/deaf people across the UK. (British Deaf Association. 2022) The unopposed passing of the BSL bill on its second reading will now lead to the next stage of the legislative process where it will be assessed by MPs. (O’Dell, L. 2022)
Looking closer at the BSL Bill reveals how significant its passing will be for BSL users and the D/deaf community. When it hopefully completes the next stages of the legislative process, it will lead to the formation of a BSL users’ advisory board. This will advise the Department of Work and Pensions on the use of BSL in public services, investigate how to increase the numbers of BSL interpreters and look at how the Access to Work scheme can better support BSL users (UK Gov. 2022). All these measures will help make society more accessible for D/deaf BSL users.
This is an incredible step forward for the D/deaf community. Currently, D/deaf and hard of hearing BSL users face many barriers in being able to access public services, such as the NHS. This was illustrated during the House of Commons Debate on the Bill when MP Lyn Brown recounted the case of Francesca Bussey, a child of deaf adults (CODA) who had to interpret for her Deaf father as the doctor told him that he was dying (Iqbal, H & Reid, D. 2021). This was just one of many stories of BSL users not being provided with adequate interpreting services to access key information. Not only is this not adequate, but it’s also not legal. The Equality Act 2010 requires that interpreters be available in hospitals for BSL users but, as has been seen repeatedly, this is not enough to ensure accessibility for D/deaf people (Iqbal, H & Reid, D. 2021). The BSL Bill will lead one step closer to BSL users being able to access all public services, including healthcare, via their language.
In the passing of the BSL Bill, the government has publicly declared a commitment to promoting the use of BSL. The past few years have highlighted the government’s failings to facilitate BSL use, specifically lacking a BSL interpreter for the daily coronavirus Downing Street briefings during the pandemic (Where is the Interpreter. 2020). When the British Government themselves are failing to follow their own Equality Act, it sets a precedent for other public services.
The NHS is one of the key public services that BSL users are fighting for equal access to. It can be easy as students to think we can’t do anything, but we can be powerful allies. On placement we are on the frontline meeting patients and so are ideally placed to help to increase accessibility. We can start by advocating for BSL interpreters for patients who request them. We can also learn BSL ourselves – there are enough resources out there made by D/deaf teachers that can help us better communicate with D/deaf patients. We can also educate ourselves on D/deaf awareness so that we can better support D/deaf and hard of hearing patients both now and as future doctors.
It is estimated that 1 in 5 people in the UK are either D/deaf or hard of hearing and so it is almost certain that we will encounter these patients in clinical settings. We should be prepared to support them as best as we can. So, find out whether there are clear masks on the ward you are based on to allow lip readers to see your face, find out how you can request a BSL interpreter, and do your best to learn more about the D/deaf community and hearing loss.
There are many resources to learn about BSL and D/deaf awareness but here are just a few:
- An online introductory course to BSL: https://www.signature.org.uk/british-sign-language-for-beginners/
- Learn about D/deaf awareness from Deaf youtuber Jazzy Whipps: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfaz727ukS3eFYNLysA9rRw
- Read more about the BSL Bill and the steps it still has to take at: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2915
- Learn about the BSL Act Now! Campaign which started the campaign to get BSL legal status: https://twitter.com/BSLActNow?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
References
British Deaf Association. 2022. BSL Bill passes 2nd reading: UK Deaf community celebrates important step towards legal status of British Sign Language. [Online]. [Accessed 29th Jan 2022]. Available from: https://bda.org.uk/bsl-act-now/
Iqbal, H., & Reid, D. 2021. ‘The doctors came and I had to tell my father he was dying’. [Online]. [Accessed 30th Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-59733533
McSorley, C. BBC. 2022. Government backs bill to promote the use of British Sign Language. [Online]. [Accessed 30th Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60171412
O’Dell, L. 2022. British Sign Language (BSL) Bill passes second reading in Commons. [Online]. [Accessed 29th January 2022]. Available from: https://limpingchicken.com/2022/01/28/breaking-british-sign-language-bsl-bill-passes-second-reading-in-commons/
UK Government. 2022. Government backs vital British Sign Language Bill. [Online]. [Accessed 29th January 2022]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-vital-british-sign-language-bill
Where is the Interpreter? 2020. COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional disadvantage and discrimination to the sign language community in the UK. [Online]. [Accessed 30th Jan 2022]. Available from: https://whereistheinterpreter.com/about/
THE WORSLEY TIMES 
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