BREAKING: Judicial review hearing date for #WhereIsTheInterpreter announced

A judicial review hearing over the UK Government’s refusal to provide an in-person British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter for its COVID briefings is to take place on 16 June, it has been confirmed.

The news comes after multiple evidence submissions by both parties, with the Government’s legal team previously claiming that the case was “unarguable” under the Equality Act and “serves no practical purpose”.

However, in a decision issued in March, the Honourable Mr Justice Johnson granted permission for the judicial review to go ahead, saying the claim raises “an important issue”.

“Broadly [it concerns] the Government’s compliance with its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 so as to provide health critical information in a form that is accessible by deaf users of BSL,” he said.

The hearing is to take place remotely on Microsoft Teams, with a time estimate of three hours being given for the case to be discussed.

Commenting on the latest development, Chris Fry, whose firm Fry Law represents Deaf actress Katie Rowley in the case, told The Limping Chicken: “This Hearing cannot come fast enough and I’m particularly disappointed that the dates in early May could not be taken up.

“We recognise that there may be many people wanting to tune in to the live proceedings and we will explore access with the Court in the next couple of weeks.”

Photo: 10 Downing Street/Flickr.

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: In a video posted to YouTube reacting to news of the hearing date, #WhereIsTheInterpreter founder Lynn Stewart-Taylor, thanked everyone for their support over the past year.

“The judicial review could not have happened without you,” she said.