Jen Dodds: 5 things I’m watching out for in 2015 (BSL)

Posted on February 9, 2015 by



We’re only a month into 2015, but several interesting things have cropped up in the Deaf community already! So, I present you with five things that I’m going to be keeping an eye on this year:

To watch this article in BSL, signed by Jen, click play below. Scroll down for the article in English.

  1. The National Framework Agreement

Well, what can I say?

It’s still here.

It’s still boring.

It’s still important!

Sorry.

It seems to have been delayed a bit, which is interesting, and references to levels 1-4 BSL also appear to have been removed. That doesn’t mean everything’s OK, though, so we still need to keep a careful eye on it.

The National union of BSL/English interpreters, NUBSLI, and the interpreters’ membership organisation, VLP, have both said they oppose it.

The Crown Commercial Services claim to have done an ‘extensive consultation’ about it.

But have they asked Deaf people or interpreters? No.

So who have they asked, then? Agencies and government departments! What a laugh.

I’ll be watching out.

  1. The British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill

I’ve got great hopes for a BSL Bill in Scotland, and have an interested eye open for news.

At the moment, the Scottish Parliament are trying to identify key themes for the Bill, after their call for evidence seems to have had lots of submissions, both in BSL and in English.

So, I hope this year will be a brilliant one for Scotland, and, by association, the rest of the UK. Fingers crossed!

  1. CSW Apprenticeships..?

A rumour about some attempts to set up apprenticeships for Communication Support Workers, who will be “developing skills while on the job”, seems to have been confirmed via Twitter.

That just looks like cheap labour to me. I’m also concerned that it means Deaf people won’t be represented properly; nor will they be safeguarded. It certainly seems very risky.

Also, what’s the point in people becoming qualified interpreters, if they’re planning to increase the number of CSWs?

I’ll be keeping a concerned eye on that.

  1. The BDA’s 125th birthday!

Remarkably, the BDA will be 125 years old this year!

I’ve been told that lots of fantastic celebrations are being planned, and I’m looking forward to finding out more about them!

  1. The general election

Argh. I hate elections… it doesn’t matter who you vote for; the government will win!

That’s the thing, really.

But anyway, I wanted to make sure that people are aware of the new Operation Disabled Vote website that aims to encourage people to register to vote if they haven’t already.

It’s really clear, with information in both BSL and English, and you can find it here.

Do think about voting. Without a vote, you don’t have a voice.

I hope it’s going to be a good year!

Jen Dodds is a Contributing Editor for The Limping Chicken. When she’s not looking after chickens or children, Jen can be found translating, proofreading and editing stuff over at Team HaDo Ltd (teamhado.com). On Twitter, Jen is @deafpower.

The Limping Chicken is the UK’s deaf blogs and news website, and is the world’s most popular deaf blog. 

Make sure you never miss a post by finding out how to follow us, and don’t forget to check out what our supporters provide: 

Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:

The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf  journalist,  screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.

Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.

Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.

The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:

Tagged: , ,
Posted in: bsl translation, jen dodds