A new campaign has been launched to put pressure on the BBC to provide signed versions of the renowned BBC TV Children’s current affairs programme, Newsround.
Newsround, which was first aired in 1972, is a daily programme that provides news in a format that is aimed at younger audiences.
The program is subtitled but Ramon Woolfe, director of Drip Media and a Deaf father himself, fears that young sign language users are missing out on important information about the world because the programme is not sign language interpreted.
He said:
“Understanding current affairs allows everyone to participate actively in the world. It allows individuals to build informed opinions and engage in healthy debates with their peers, friends and family members. It prepares them for their journey in life and exposes them to cultural life.”
Woolfe feels that Deaf children who communicate in BSL (British Sign Language) need access to current affairs to keep up with their counterparts.
Many deaf children are educated in schools with few or no other deaf children, which means they have limited social interaction in which to pick up news, and that is something he hopes to change.
He added: “Unfortunately, deaf children miss so much dialogue in noisy speech-dominant classrooms and signing deaf children find themselves quite removed from engaging in current affairs.”
CBBC Newsround broadcasts daily on television and also airs daily bulletins on its website. Most are subtitled but for many deaf children using sign language or with common associated problems with literacy, subtitles may offer little benefit.
“We firmly believe that latest technology can be harnessed to give deaf children access to, for example, at least one daily bulletin presented by a deaf person qualified in BSL.” said Woolfe.
Woolfe has set up an e-petition which he hopes will put pressure on the makers of Newsround to begin to provide sign language interpeted versions, which is now approaching 1000 signatures.
He has also made two example clips, which can be seen on the petition page. You can sign it by clicking here.
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pennybsl
October 9, 2014
Children who access and watch current news achieve better in their GCSEs and personal lives. “World Knowledge” crops up in school curricula. I have noticed an increasing expectation of ‘knowing what’s happening in the world news’ within school work, like this year being a focus for WW1, other issues being environmental challenges and economy.
Therefore, the proposal for the signed version or even with a technical facility to have signing ‘interposed’ upon the screen, is certainly relevant, life-enhancing and educational for the deaf child, siblings and family. It would improve conversations / interactions within family and friends as well, and via more Deaf-friendly media literacy, Deaf children’s emotional literacy would progress.
This campaign shows Deaf children as future UK citizens, not as objects of pity and ‘special needs’.
Please do support it whole-heartedly.