BSL Advisory Board meeting summary: 11 February 2026 (including BSL version)
Updated 21 April 2026
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/british-sign-language-bsl-advisory-board-meeting-summaries/bsl-advisory-board-meeting-summary-11-february-2026-including-bsl-version
British Sign Language (BSL) version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThOkFGQFOGQ
Attendees
BSL Advisory Board
- Dr Joanna Atkinson, Co-chair of BSL Advisory Board
- Alex Gowlland, Deputy Director of Disability Unit (DU), Cabinet Office (CO), Co-chair
- Matthew Adedeji
- Damian Brewer
- Teri Devine
- Catherine Drew
- Marcella Dwek
- Helen Foulkes
- Abigail Gorman
- Laura Hawksworth
- Sabina Iqbal
- Hassan Moinuddin
- Ahmed Mudawi
- Jemina Napier
- Dai O’Brien
- Kate Reed
- Sarah Reed
- Christopher Reid
- Lucy Wox
Other government officials attendees
- 4 civil servants representing DU
- one civil servant from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Access to Work team
- one civil servant from the CO public appointments team
Welcome and introductions
The co-chairs, Dr Joanna Atkinson and Alexandra Gowlland, opened the second meeting of the new BSL Advisory Board. The meeting included sessions with Minister Stephen Timms.
Significant achievements were noted, including the board’s contribution to the NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) review and the submission of recommendations from the board to include disability-related questions in the 2031 Census.
Catherine Drew, MBE was congratulated on receiving an MBE.
Board structure and priorities
The board approved the proposed structure of 3 subgroups:
- health and social care
- education
- employment (looking at the Access to Work consultation)
Three cross-departmental working groups were also established:
- technology (focusing on AI and guidelines)
- Deafblind
- interpreting and translation
Members shared individual priorities covering themes such as employment, health and social care, education, and AI. These were then consolidated into potential priority items for voting.
Session with Minister Stephen Timms MP
Minister Timms welcomed and thanked the board. He expressed hope for substantial progress on the BSL GCSE and acknowledged the importance of the board’s input on Access to Work reform.
The board discussed Personal Independence Payment reform, Access to Work, the development of AI and barriers to employment for Deaf people.
Access to Work overview and reform
A DWP policy official presented on Access to Work reform. It was confirmed that the scheme is struggling with increasing demand, resulting in unacceptable waiting times.
Board members raised issues around the barriers Deaf people face, including payment delays for interpreters, inconsistent assessments, and the need to recognise Deafblind people as a distinct group. The official committed to returning to the board to discuss the proposals and to look into the barriers raised in the discussion.
Public appointments
A CO official gave a presentation on the “representation gap” in public appointments. They noted that only 4% of appointees declare a disability, compared with 1 in 5 of the UK population. The board provided feedback stressing the need for Deaf experts to guide the process, documents to be translated into BSL, and a ‘Task and Finish’ group to be set up to improve visibility and address unconscious bias in the application process.
Any other business
The co-chairs thanked the board members for their contributions and concluded the session.