A view from Mark Isherwood – Welsh Conservative North Wales Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited the four North Wales Members of the Senedd to write a monthly column with updates on their work. You can find their updates – along with contributions from the Wrexham and Clwyd South MPs and MSs – here. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In his first monthly column for Wrexham.com, Welsh Conservative MS Mark Isherwood writes..

In December my motion proposing a British Sign Language (BSL) Wales Bill was passed in the Senedd.

Thirty-eight Members of the Senedd voted in favour of my proposals, which aim to improve access to education, health, public services, support services and the workplace in BSL, 12 abstained and none voted against.

In February 2021 the previous Senedd voted in favour of my preceding proposal for a Bill.

I was delighted when Labour MP Rosie Cooper introduced her British Sign Language Bill in the UK Parliament, co-sponsored by Conservative Lord Holmes of Richmond, when this secured the UK Government’s support, and when it was passed last March and gained Royal Assent last April.

The UK Act recognises British Sign Language as a language of England, Wales and Scotland; requires the UK Secretary of State to report on the promotion and facilitation of the use of British Sign Language by UK ministerial government departments; and requires guidance to be issued in relation to British Sign Language.

Although the UK Act creates a duty for the UK Government to prepare and publish BSL reports describing what UK Government departments have done to promote the use of BSL in their communications with the public, it specifically excludes reporting on matters devolved to Scotland and Wales, and does not extend the reporting or guidance duty to the Governments of Wales and Scotland.

In 2019 “Deffo! Wales Deaf Youth Forum” submitted a petition to the Senedd to improve access to Education and services in BSL.

Currently there are deaf children in Wales in mainstream education with limited access to other deaf peers and communication support. As a result, they leave School at 16 with an average median reading age of nine.

They often also have poor speech and lip-reading skills – which hasn’t changed since the 1970’s with failures in increased mainstream education only exacerbating this.

Families have limited access to support groups and other similar families, and are unable to learn BSL unless they can afford the high costs involved.

There is limited opportunity for deaf children and young people, or their families, to learn their own language, BSL, or even to gain BSL qualifications until they are 16 years old when they leave School. They have missed out on important life skills, life changing conversations within the home and local and world-wide news.

These are some of the reasons why I have been pushing so hard for a Wales specific BSL Act.

In accordance with the Social Model of Disability, my motion proposed a Bill seeking both to ‘remove the barriers that exist for deaf people and their families in education, health, public services, support services and in the workplace’, and to extend to Welsh Ministers duties on devolved matters equivalent to those applying to UK Ministers in England. For reasons of morality, practicality and equality’.

I welcome the fact that Members recognised the importance of voting in favour of the motion.

As was stated during the debate, Deaf communities use BSL as their main means of communication and, for Deaf communities, this is an important piece of legislation.

As the BDA (British Deaf Association) state: ‘BSL is not just a language; it is also a gateway to learning, and the means whereby Deaf people survive and flourish in a hearing world’.

As RNID Cymru told me: ‘now that both Westminster and Holyrood have passed BSL bills, we hope that this Bill would complement those pieces of legislation and help to improve the provision of BSL across Wales’.

And as a Deaf constituent told me: ‘BSL is a language in its own right, with its own grammar and vocabulary, which enables many of our Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing citizens to Learn, Work, be Creative, Live Life to full and make their contribution to our culture and our economy’.

Too many disabled people continue to suffer social injustice because of the barriers to access and inclusion placed in their way at all levels of society.

As an adult with hearing loss, and Chair of both the Cross-Party Group on Disability and the Cross-Party Group on Deaf Issues in the Senedd, I have long been calling for more support for the deaf community and people with hearing loss in Wales.

Although I am pleased with the cross party support my proposals have received, I will now need to win both a future Ballot for Member’s Bill and then a Senedd vote to introduce a Bill.