British Sign Language (BSL) is used by a total of 151,000 individuals in the UK, with 87,000 of these individuals listing BSL as their preferred language. BSL was only recognised as an “official” language by the government in 2003, but it has been in use for hundreds of years with printed accounts of its usage dating as far back as 1644.

References to Sign Language have even been found in Greek and Roman writings and the earliest recorded instance of gestural communication among Deaf people occurs in the Talmud. Despite this long history and BSL’s remarkably wide usage in the UK, people who use BSL are not adequately supported.

The British Sign Language Bill recently underwent its third reading in parliament and, if passed, will fully recognise BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland in its own right. This goes beyond a simple act of recognition: the Bill will be supported by a duty of the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ‘regularly report on what each relevant government department has done to promote or facilitate the use of British Sign Language in its communications with the public.’

DWP minister Chloe Smith said:

‘Effective communication is vital to creating a more inclusive and accessible society, and legally recognising British Sign Language in Great Britain is a significant step towards ensuring that deaf people are not excluded from reaching their potential.’

As part of the Bill, the government will also strive to increase the number of BSL interpreters in the UK. Even accessing necessities such as NHS care can be extremely difficult for Deaf patients if they do not have an interpreter present. This was a major challenge during periods of the pandemic when patients were not able to take someone with them for appointments. Pandemic aside, patients often have to take family members with them to appointments if interpreters aren’t available, meaning that they are not afforded the same privacy as others. This serves as a prime example of the things that the Bill hopes to change.

The Bill will benefit more than 151,000 BSL signers who have historically been underserved and struggled to fully engage with a society that is full of barriers to their inclusion.

BSL brings us together

Sign Language Week is celebrated each year in March to coincide with the anniversary of the recognition of BSL as a language by the UK government.

‘The aim of the campaign is to encourage people of all ages across the UK to take up the challenge of learning some BSL for themselves and finding out more about the language and culture of the 87,000 Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing British people for whom BSL is their first or preferred language.’

Increasing public knowledge of BSL and the challenges facing the Deaf community has been integral to making progress toward better inclusion and equality for Deaf people across the UK.

David Buxton, Chair of the British Deaf Association said:

‘The BSL Bill presents a real opportunity for change, to finally break down avoidable communication barriers and to give Deaf people and their language – BSL – the recognition, inclusion, and equality that they deserve.’

Beyond the obvious governmental aspects of the Bill, it is hoped that the formal recognition of BSL will encourage more members of the general public to learn BSL. Wider learning of BSL will make many areas of life more accessible for Deaf people and help them feel more connected with the community. Something as simple as learning how to sign ‘thank you’ to a deaf customer can help them feel more comfortable, and even slow and uncertain fingerspelling of a word you don’t know the proper BSL sign for can go a long way.

The government’s commitment to recognising BSL and supporting the Deaf community will hopefully encourage other public bodies to take up the BSL mantle and build toward a society that is truly accessible to the Deaf population.