The BDA’s statement can be watched in BSL by clicking here.
We reported yesterday that the BSL GCSE had moved a step closer with the announcement of a public consultation into the development of the qualification.
As the news was widely reported, reaching news bulletins and online publications, many deaf people online complained that those interviewed in the reports were often not using BSL.
Now the British Deaf Association (BDA), which is part of a coalition of organisations who have long campaigned for a BSL GCSE, has weighed in too, saying that it “is concerned about the lack of BSL signers represented in the media to discuss this crucial milestone for the British signing community. Instead, deaf people with clear speech were invited to comment on their behalf.”
Rebecca Mansell, the Chief Executive of the BDA, added:
“The introduction of a GCSE in BSL is a truly landmark moment, and we are now one step closer to BSL being taught across schools in England.
While the BDA warmly welcomes this positive and long-awaited development, we were deeply disappointed to see BBC Breakfast inviting deaf people with clear speech to comment on the news yesterday.
It is vanishingly rare to see a native BSL signer on TV. This was a huge missed opportunity for the BBC to invite a representative of the signing community to give their perspective on this new qualification.
Asking deaf people who can speak to represent signing Deaf people is unacceptable and ableist, akin to inviting English speakers to comment on matters of importance to the Welsh-speaking community. Nothing about us, without us.
This demonstrates how far we as Deaf people still have to go to counter widespread ignorance about our community and language, despite the legal recognition of BSL by the UK Parliament in April 2022 and the subsequent creation of a BSL Advisory Board, established to guide the Government on issues related to BSL.”
The BDA’s statement can be watched in BSL by clicking here.
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Tim
June 19, 2023
Huh? They’re language-deprived Deaf people, so it could even be argued that they are *better* qualified to do this and to impress upon the public the urgent need to broaden and promote BSL.
Editor
June 20, 2023
The whole point is that BSL users are continually not given a voice in the media. There were reports of Deaf BSL users being contacted by media organisations, but then not interviewed because they didn’t speak.
Tim
June 20, 2023
The whole point is to take forward a GCSE in BSL. Language-deprived Deaf people are as entitled to representation in the matter as BSL-using Deaf people. It’s possible to argue that the former are more worthy of it, considering their background of language deprivation, as Deaf people who have gone without will be clear, anxious and resolute in stressing the importance of BSL being taught.
In my opinion, if they had used one Deaf fluent BSL user and one Deaf language-deprived Deaf person, that would have been ideal. I don’t care much for the BDA disqualifying the second person.