Deaf News: UK Government COVID guidance requires Year 9 reading age, report finds

The “majority” of written government guidance on the coronavirus demands a Year 9 level of reading to understand it, a report by Open Inclusion and Heriot-Watt University has revealed.

The finding comes despite the average deaf 16-year-old having a reading age of between eight to 11 years.

Dr Kate Rowley, from the University of Wolverhampton, said: “Print literacy levels in the deaf population, whether they have been orally or manually educated, have not improved in the last fifty years.

“One study reported that 16-year-old deaf school leavers in the UK had an average reading age of 9 years and recent studies show little improvement in the last forty years.

“However, many deaf people do go on to achieve literacy skills that are comparable to their hearing peers, and in some cases surpass them,” she said.

The investigation, commissioned by Fry Law on behalf of #WhereIsTheInterpreter campaigners, also showed that information on education and childcare, as well as what people can and cannot do, required a university reading level.

The report goes on to add that a limited provision of British Sign Language (BSL) across sources of information, alongside the speed of new information, are amongst a “range of reasons” which have caused a “highly complex environment” for BSL users.

“Due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation and complexity of the coronavirus impact and provisions, there has been a huge volume, breadth and depth of communications from the government.

“This communication has been made more complex due to the variance in government approaches across Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and across different regions within England with the regional tiered approach,” it reads.

The comments are backed up by a survey of 42 BSL users across the UK, which revealed that 44% of respondents said they found the Government’s tier system confusing – more than four times the amount of people confused by the R number for rate of infection (10%).

The findings follow previous statements from the Government in response to Deaf campaigners, where they’ve directed them to online guidance alongside interpreting services from the BBC and ITV.

Replying to an online petition earlier this year, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “The Government will continue to engage with broadcasters about including signing provisions in future announcements to ensure that information is accessible.

“Also, the Government publishes press conference statements on the Government website which can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/coronavirus along with the latest guidance and information.”

Photo: Pippa Fowles/No 10 Downing Street.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.

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Update: Responding to the report, #WhereIsTheInterpreter founder Lynn Stewart-Taylor drew attention to the finding that 90% of respondents want briefings to come with a live interpreter across all TV channels.

“That’s what we have been fighting for. For nine months we – the BSL deaf community and organisations – have been requesting for this, and still, nothing changes from the Government.

“We’ve got the evidence and I do hope that the Government will listen to their sign language citizens and take action.

“We want to be safe and sign language saves lives,” she said.