Transparency data

BSL Advisory Board meeting summary: 8 November 2023 (including BSL version)

Updated 29 April 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

BSL version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbD6xfhBJfA

In attendance

• Craig Crowley MBE, co-chair of BSL Advisory Board
• Alex Gowlland, Deputy Director of Disability Unit (DU), Cabinet Office, and co-chair of BSL Advisory Board
• Martin Thacker
• Teri Devine
• Gaye Hampton
• Richard MacQueen
• Richard Platt
• Kate Reed
• Asif Iqbal MBE
• Scott Garthwaite
• Sylvia Simmonds
• Joanna Atkinson
• Zoe Fudge-Ajadi
• Vicki Ashmore
• Brian Kokoruwe
• Ahmed Mudawi
• Erin McCluskey
• Mangayarkkarasy Sutharsan (online)

Three officials from the DU also attended. 

Apologies

• Samantha Stocken

Summary of discussion

1. Welcome and matters arising from last meeting

Alex Gowlland, co-chair, welcomed the group and noted the BSL Team winning the Civil Service Policy Profession Awards 2023.

2. Update on the education sub-group committee

Kate Reed thanked the group for their responses to the BSL GCSE consultation and noted the GCSE won’t be taught until September 2025 as it has to be finalised with the exam boards, Ofqual and the schools. 

Questions were raised about:

• the number of signs
• what is a proficient signer
• reforming the BSL dictionary
• working with Deafness, Cognition and Language (DCAL) Research Centre at UCL

DU noted that the Department for Education (DfE) are happy to come to the Board to talk about the process going forward. 

3. Sub groups 

Craig Crowley reminded that the sub-groups meetings need to happen prior to the Board meeting on 24 January. 

Asif Iqbal fed back on what is happening in Scotland after meeting the Equality Strategy Lead developing their 6 year plan to ensure all information is accessible. DU responded that the BSL team and officials meet quarterly with officials in the devolved administrations to better understand what is going on with each administration. The BSL Act is clear in section 2 and 3 to let devolved administrations conduct their own business, so we need to be careful on our approach.

DU confirmed that the government most needs the BSL Board’s help on the guidance, and this is the current priority for the Board

4. BSL guidance 

DU explained section 3 of the BSL Act about the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions issuing guidance on the use of BSL. 

The Board will support the government in rewriting the internal guidelines produced by the Government Communication Service (GCS) for a front-facing audience, to help the government communicate. 

DU asked:

• if anything was missing
• anything valuable to mention when talking about BSL
• how it will be considered in the wider sense

Martin Thacker noted the importance of support for BSL users attending appointments and suggested that this guidance should not be for interpreters, rather a document in helping hearing people understand BSL as a language. Sylvia noted key information on language, culture and communication needs to be reflected. 

Other members noted:

• the focus is to educate hearing people about some of the communication challenges BSL users face
• to separate it from sign supported English and Makaton

DU invited everyone to continue the conversation via email to develop helpful guidance. 

5. Disability Action Plan

Alex Gowlland explained the Disability Action Plan – a draft version of which was published for consultation between 18 July and 6 October 2023. She overviewed the 12 areas of action across 4 main categories:

• improving disability inclusion in existing policy areas
• new actions focusing on specific needs of disabled people
• improving the join up of cross government working
• strengthening the evidence base

Questions were asked on:

• the Disability Enabled Badge
• the provision of assistive tech and the children hearing service working groups (CHSWG)
• language deprivation
• parents accessing information in the SEND review and access to mental health services
• an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) not budgeting for interpreters

Alex Gowlland thanked those who had responded as part of an organisation that has provided a written response.

6. Terminology 

The Board spoke about terminology and the use of capital D and little letter d and consistency of use. Craig Crowley reminded the BSL Board’s remit – how we use it, our advice and guidance will be going to the DU.

Sylvia made the point that D/d distinctions are unhelpful and polarising so the use of the lowercase ‘d’ is generally better except when recognising distinct cultural groups such as the Deaf community and the Deaf grassroots community especially those who use only BSL to communicate and do not have access to written English. 

Craig Crowley confirmed our remit is to think about how the government uses terminology depending on the issue or process they are describing. He suggested we pick up discussion on terminology and consolidate the research understanding social, medical and cultural models of deafness for broader consideration at a later date.

7. AOB

Alex Gowlland will look for a room which meets everyone’s needs. Craig Crowley encouraged face to face attendance for the Board with sub groups meeting virtually. He thanked everyone for coming, the DU for organising and the interpreters.