Government issues ‘irrelevant’ response to petition to fund BSL courses for parents of deaf children (BSL)

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The Department for Education (DfE) has responded to a Parliament petition calling for British Sign Language (BSL) courses to be free and fully funded for parents and guardians of deaf children.

The petition, set up by mother Katie Littlejohns, has more than 17,000 signatures at the time of writing – surpassing the 10,000-signature threshold to receive a response from the UK Government.

Writing for The Limping Chicken in October, Katie – whose son Alvie is moderately deaf – said it is “absolutely vital” that a child being deaf should not prevent them from learning a language.

“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,” she wrote.

The petition is also backed by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), with the charity tweeting: “Free BSL courses for parents of deaf children should be made available to support parents to communicate with their deaf child.”

The DfE issued its response in the early hours of Thursday morning, referencing the Adult Education Budget to support adult learners studying for a qualification.

“Adult Education Budget funding is available for British Sign Language (BSL) qualifications, below Level 3. At Level 3 and above Advanced Learner Loans are available for certain BSL qualifications.

“Funding is available through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) for qualifications in or focussing on British Sign Language (BSL) up to and including Level 2,” they said.

They continued to state that “about 60%” of the budget is devolved to combined local authorities with a mayor and the Greater London Authority to make funding decisions, while those outside of these areas have funding provided by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

They added: “Some providers of Community Learning offer BSL courses, and those providers determine the course fees, including levels of fee remission.

“For qualifications at Level 3 and above Advanced Learner Loans are available for certain BSL qualifications.”

Meanwhile, the DfE noted eligible undergraduate students can apply for support if their course is listed for funding under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011, and eligible students taking a masters level qualification in BSL can access their first postgraduate loan – unless they hold a Level 7 qualification.

Further details of funding offers for BSL courses can be found via the DfE’s qualifications search tool.

Commenting on the government’s response to her petition, Katie said she was “incredibly disappointed” by the “misleading” reply.

She told The Limping Chicken: “[It] doesn’t address the actual purpose of the petition. There is no mention of support for parents or the child.

“It merely offers potential funding for those ages 19-24. Or alternatively a loan for those above or part-funded if you’re on Universal Credit.

“It is not a simple read either to elicit the exact support. Overall, an irrelevant response that completely ignores the petition.

“Also, the initial sentence is misleading as it implies this is full funding for all adults.”

Ian Noon, chief policy advisor at NDCS, added the government’s response “misses the mark by a wide distance” and that many families will consider it “insulting”.

He said: “We believe that all families with deaf children should have the opportunity to learn sign language. Many families tell us that using sign language, either as a main language or to support spoken English, can bring huge benefits in a wide range of different situations.

“For these families, learning sign language should not be seen as equivalent to learning a new skill or hobby – it’s fundamental to their child’s development and should be available free of charge.

“We agree with Katie that the Government must fund these lessons. It’s unacceptable that too many families face having to pay thousands of pounds to learn sign language.

“The SEND review currently underway provides the Government with a key opportunity to address this injustice so that all families can access the specialist support they need as early as possible and at no cost.”

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.