Katie Littlejohns: Why I’ve started a petition asking the government to fund free BSL courses for parents of deaf children

To find out more or to sign the petition see:  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623900

Back when the health visitor arrived to conduct Alvie’s newborn hearing test, I wasn’t anxious or remotely prepared for the journey our family was about to embark on. Instead, I was just excited to have some adult company whilst we were in yet another lockdown.

The screen ‘failed’, but I remained composed and calm having had the same experience previously with my eldest son, Leo.  

A week later, an old friend who worked for audiology came to do the next level of hearing screening. I was so excited for yet again some adult company having been starved of it. So when she told me it the test had ‘failed’ again, I felt a little bubble burst.

I remember the moment it was confirmed. Sat alone with my tiny newborn, as Covid rules meant only I could attend without my husband, I felt heartbroken for my tiny baby boy and immediately lost in this whole new world. 

That was the moment I knew I would do anything to fight for a great future for him, where I would do everything I could to make sure that he, and other deaf people would never have to feel disadvantaged or isolated.

And so here I am. I am writing to ask for your support, a signature and share for my petition to give parents Free Courses to Learn BSL. Alvie has moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. As a result, he will miss out on much of the main speech sounds. 

As a hearing woman brought up in a hearing family, I was unaware that hearing aids aren’t simply the equivalent of glasses for poor eyesight. Very naïve of me, I know. 

We were fortunate in having the most incredible team at RCHT audiology (Royal Cornwall Hospital’s Trust) and also from our local council’s Teachers of the Deaf (ToD) too. Again, my naivety showed here as it was a job I didn’t even know existed just a week earlier. 

Hearing aids truly are amazing, but so many factors mean at times they may not be effective. I don’t ever want my beautiful boy to feel left out of a conversation at a restaurant, when we go swimming or if we are somewhere loud and busy. I remember one day when he’d pulled his hearing aids out and he wasn’t laughing with his brother and cousins. That was the first time I saw him missing out. It was so sad. 

I’ve met friends who have deaf children a similar age to Alvie through our ToD’s. They’re amazing people. One of my friends has a son who is completely deaf. His diagnosis means that no technology will give him hearing, and he will solely rely on sign language to communicate. She has now spent several thousand pounds to learn in intensive courses just so her son can communicate, like any other child. 

For all children, language starts at home. It is absolutely vital that a child being deaf should not prevent them from learning a language. Especially one that is legally recognised in our country. Free courses that are out there are great, but these teach the basics, not fluency. 

If parents can’t afford the BSL courses, and don’t qualify for funding (ie universal credit) they won’t be able to undertake them. As a mum who was already suffering with postnatal depression, the impact it had on me as I worried that I may not be able to communicate with my son and how this could effect his development and mental health was simply devastating. 

Amidst the cost of living crisis, some families may find themselves choosing between learning a language that is so vital for their children or simply paying their electric bill. 

I have been so incredibly lucky with a fantastic support network and I am pleased to say Alvie is thriving. I work within the NHS and have quite possibly the most supportive managers you could wish for who have funded my BSL college course. I don’t take this for granted. 

Alvie is picking up sign really well and I believe it helps him with his speech development too. We attend a family sign class with the wonderful Luke Wilkes who is a ToD. Currently Alvie’s most used sign is “sorry Leo” as he is most definitely the little monkey. His older brother Leo is picking up signing too. It’s simply beautiful to see.

From my experience, the deaf community is a wonderful and welcoming community. I feel privileged to be a part of it. Yet, we can’t really say the same for the hearing community if we don’t embrace BSL and make it an accessible language on the same par as spoken English. My hope is Alvie will be bilingual, enabling him to communicate with his deaf friends and hearing friends alike. 

The government needs to make this happen. Along with so many others, adults who have late hearing loss also need free access to BSL. 

Please sign my petition and please help promote my campaign for a more inclusive future where hopefully the feeling of isolation that deaf people so often experience can become a thing of the past. 

Thank you,
Katie

To find out more or to sign the petition see:  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623900

Katie has lived in Cornwall her whole life. She has been married to Joe – who is also Cornish – for 4 years and together they have Leo (aged 3) and Alvie (aged 1.)