Welcome to the engagement findings report page for the British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill.
The BSL videos are subtitled. To make it easier to navigate, the BSL version is divided into chapters. You can also open the English or Welsh version and read the report alongside the BSL videos.
The chapter headings and paragraph numbers correspond, so it's easy to follow both the text and the video at the same time.
We hope this format helps you access and understand the findings. Thank you for taking the time to explore the report.
This chapter offers an overview of the engagement objectives, methodology, and design, outlining the approach used to gather insights from BSL signers and their families.
BSL is viewed as a "beautiful" language central to participants' identity. Role models like Rose Ayling-Ellis have fostered pride, but societal recognition and respect for BSL remain limited.
Healthcare Barriers
Deaf people face widespread communication barriers, from telephone-based appointment systems to a lack of BSL-trained healthcare staff. Participants reported inadequate receptionists, poor interpreter booking systems, and unsafe care due to miscommunication.
Proposed solutions included visual appointment systems and NHS databases flagging deaf patients' needs.
Education Challenges
Limited early access to BSL affects language development in deaf children. Families face financial and systemic barriers to learning BSL, and mainstream school support is inconsistent.
Participants called for BSL to be part of the curriculum and for dedicated deaf schools in Wales to reduce isolation and foster identity.
Public Services and Accessibility
Inconsistent BSL provision across local authorities creates a postcode lottery. Public transport and residential care often fail to meet the needs of BSL signers.
Employment and Training
Inaccessible training and inadequate job centre support perpetuate unemployment, contributing to social isolation and mental health issues.
Interpreter Shortages and Booking Systems
A shortage of BSL interpreters and poor booking systems restrict access to essential services.
Participants called for a single Wales-wide booking system co-created with deaf people.
Recognition and Promotion of BSL
Participants called for BSL to receive the same legal recognition and support as Welsh, stressing its role as a necessary language. Accessible, community BSL courses were called for.
Representation and Leadership
Participants agreed that the BSL Commissioner should be a deaf BSL signer.
They stressed the importance of meaningful engagement with the deaf community in shaping the Commissioner’s role. They also called for the Commissioner to have enforcement powers to ensure public bodies meet their obligations.
The following solutions were proposed by participants during discussions.
They reflect the participants’ hopes for the possible changes a BSL Act might bring and the potential for long-term policies to strengthen the rights, recognition, and inclusion of BSL signers in Wales.
This chapter highlights the importance of BSL as a language central to the identity and culture of the Deaf community, while also discussing barriers to recognition and respect.
Health
This chapter examines the communication barriers deaf individuals face in healthcare, including issues with appointments, interpreter access, and unsafe care.
Education
This chapter focuses on early years and family support, continuity of communication across school, home, and community, BSL mainstream education concerns, and a call for a specialist school for deaf children in Wales.
Public services
This chapter explores the challenges deaf people face when accessing local authority services, public transport, and care for the elderly, particularly due to the lack of BSL provision.
Training and employment
This chapter discusses the barriers to accessing education and vocational training for deaf individuals, including the lack of BSL support and the impact on employment opportunities.
Availability and accessibility of BSL interpreters
This chapter addresses the critical shortage of qualified BSL interpreters in Wales, the challenges with interpreter booking systems, and the lack of consultation with the Deaf community in service design.
Recognition and promotion of BSL
This chapter focuses on the barriers to learning and accessing BSL, the parity between BSL, Welsh, and English, and the call to legally recognise BSL.
A BSL Commissioner
This chapter outlines participants' views on the role and powers required for a BSL Commissioner, whilst also emphasising the importance of lived experience and representation in the role.
