British Deaf Association marks National BSL Day with Early Years Conference highlighting BSL for deaf children (BSL)

The British Deaf Association will today mark National BSL Day with an Early Years conference in Manchester highlighting the right for every deaf child to learn British Sign Language from birth.

You can watch the charity’s press release in BSL here.

This is the second annual BSL Conference and aims to address the impact of early exposure to sign language on deaf children’s cognitive, linguistic and personal development.

The Conference is a key pillar of the charity’s recently-launched “BSL In Our Hands” campaign, which centres on the crucial need for deaf children’s early access to British Sign Language (BSL) (or Irish Sign Language (ISL) in Northern Ireland), recognising the formative years from birth to five as pivotal for language acquisition.

It will coincide with Manchester BSL Fest, a week-long celebration around National BSL Day led by an organisation called BSL Celebration in partnership with Manchester Deaf Centre.

National BSL Day, which this year falls on Sunday 28 April, marks the anniversary of the legal recognition of British Sign Language by the UK Parliament with the BSL Act on 28 April 2022.

The BDA’s aims for the BSL Conference 2024 are to:

· promote awareness and understanding: raise consciousness about the benefits of early sign language introduction for deaf children among a diverse audience including parents, educators, and policymakers.

· highlight positive outcomes: demonstrate the significant impact of early sign language on the cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and social development of deaf children.

· share research and best practices: offer a platform for disseminating current research and effective strategies in early sign language intervention.

· advocate for policy change: champion policy reforms and educational curricula that incorporate early sign language education and Deaf culture, aiming to influence government policies towards better inclusion of BSL.

· empower stakeholders: equip parents, educators, and professionals with knowledge and tools to support deaf children’s growth, promoting bilingualism and inclusivity.

· foster collaboration: bring together various stakeholders, from Deaf communities to policymakers, to jointly enhance the well-being and success of deaf children.

· contribute to Deaf rights: support the global initiative to acknowledge and protect deaf children’s rights, in line with the Declaration on the Rights of Deaf Children.

Rebecca Mansell, Chief Executive of the British Deaf Association, said:

“Following the recognition of BSL as an indigenous British language with the BSL Act 2022, we urge the UK national and devolved Governments to fund free access to high-quality sign language tuition to the families of all newly-diagnosed deaf children. In 2024, it’s inconceivable that these families should be forced to pay thousands of pounds to be able to communicate with their own child from birth, or else face a barrier to communication within their own home.

Ninety percent (90%) of deaf children are born to hearing parents. Due to the lack of national early years BSL / ISL provision for deaf children in the UK, the majority of parents will have little understanding of Deaf people’s lived experiences and next to no knowledge of how to communicate with their deaf baby.

Research has shown that language acquisition in the first five years of life is essential for a child’s cognitive development and lifelong wellbeing. Yet access to British Sign Language as part of an early and comprehensive support package is not currently provided by the UK Government, meaning many families are not able to communicate with their child during those crucial early years.

We want to challenge the longstanding but mistaken belief that the parents of deaf children must choose between either speech or sign for their child. Our position is that deaf children should have access to both English and BSL / ISL. There is no evidence whatsoever that learning to sign with your deaf child will have a negative effect on their language development; in fact, it’s the opposite!

Ensuring your family can all communicate fluently with your deaf child will not only boost their language acquisition, but it will also support their cognitive development and mental health and wellbeing, create vital bonds withing your family and build a solid foundation for your child’s lifelong identity as a member of the Deaf community.”