WEC to examine access to British Sign Language
The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) will hold a one-off evidence session to explore the issue of access to British Sign Language (BSL) on Wednesday, 10 September.
Meeting details
Senior representatives from the BSL Advisory Board and the British Deaf Association will appear before the cross-party committee of MPs and sign their evidence, which will be spoken by interpreters.
During the session, WEC will explore progress towards greater access to British Sign Language following the British Sign Language Act 2022. The Act recognises BSL as a language of Great Britain, places duties on government departments to promote and facilitate its use and requires the Work and Pensions Secretary to issue guidance to departments and report regularly.
The session is likely to cover broader issues of concern to the Deaf community, as well as access to BSL in Parliament, BSL education, the potential impacts of AI on BSL and funding for Deaf sports and Deaflympians.
A BSL version of this statement is available here: https://youtu.be/29jsJa0FMVM