City Hall to consult with Deaf Londoners as it moves closer to signing BSL Charter

The Greater London Assembly has invited Deaf Londoners to visit City Hall at the end of the month, as the Mayor of London moves forward on his plans to implement a BSL Charter for all public services under his control.

Ahead of being elected for the first time in 2016, Labour’s Sadiq Khan delivered a video message in British Sign Language (BSL), promising to implement the British Deaf Association’s (BDA) BSL Charter if he became Mayor.

He said at the time: “I’ve seen first-hand the discrimination faced by some members of the deaf community.

“I’m committed to tackling all forms of discrimination and will work hard to remove the barriers faced by the deaf community when accessing services and employment.

“If elected as your Mayor, I pledge that all public services under the direct control of the Mayor will implement the BSL charter to empower deaf people and remove discrimination.”

Mr Khan went on to secure a second victory in the London Mayoral election last year.

First drafted in 2003, the BDA’s BSL Charter looks to “remove direct and indirect discrimination, empower local deaf communities and improve dialogue between service providers and Deaf people”.

The five pledges of the charter include consulting with the local Deaf community on a regular basis, ensuring access to information and services, and supporting Deaf children and families.

The final two pledges concern ensuring staff supporting Deaf people can communicate using BSL and promoting the “learning and high-quality teaching” of the language.

It’s understood earlier consultation with the Deaf community about their experiences was delayed due to the Covid pandemic, with the BDA saying it is “pleased” the work can “now move forward”.

Rebecca Mansell, the charity’s chief executive, told The Limping Chicken: “The BDA is asking local and national services across the UK in the public, private and voluntary sectors to sign up to our Charter for British Sign Language (BSL).

“The Charter sets out a number of key pledges to improve access and rights for Deaf people who use sign language.

“We are currently carrying out an audit of the Greater London Authority (GLA) to assess how they include the Deaf community in their communications and service provision.

“As a part of that audit, the GLA is inviting Deaf BSL users who live in London to attend a consultation on 29 June at City Hall. They would like to hear the views and experiences of Deaf Londoners who use BSL.”

“This consultation is part of the London Mayor’s election commitment to sign the BSL Charter.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London added City Hall is “committed to being an inclusive organisation” which “celebrates London’s diversity”.

They said: “As part of Sadiq’s manifesto, he has pledged to adopt the British Sign Language (BSL) Charter. City Hall is working closely with the British Deaf Association to ensure that London’s d/Deaf communities are consulted as we move towards signing [it].

“This means engaging with d/Deaf communities through outreach events to learn about what we’re doing well, what we could improve upon, and how the BSL Charter will be used in practice at City Hall.

“The information gathered at these events will be used to develop an action plan that places d/Deaf communities at the heart of policy decisions that will have a meaningful impact on the lives of Londoners with hearing impairments.”

Deaf Londoners interested in attending one of the two sessions on Wednesday 29 June – either from 1pm to 3pm or 6pm to 8pm – are asked to contact the BDA’s Robin Ash to secure a place.

Individuals who want to give feedback but can’t attend either session can also contact Mr Ash at robin.ash@bda.org.uk, or by mobile on 07814 387251.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.