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<p>The Government is committed to supporting all people with a disability, including
deaf people, to lead fulfilled, independent lives. For D/deaf people, we recognise
that this must include the ability to communicate with others through British Sign
Language (BSL) or other forms of deaf communication.</p><p> </p><p>I have been working
closely with Rosie Cooper MP to support the aims and development of her Private Members
Bill to promote BSL. We have also held a number of stakeholder forums, including with
deaf people’s organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and
British Deaf Association, to ensure that we understand the views and perspectives
of D/deaf BSL users.</p><p> </p><p>The British Sign Language Bill is a major step
forward in recognising BSL as a language for D/deaf people in its own right. It will
place a duty on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to issue guidance on
the promotion and facilitation of BSL. It will also require them to report on information
supplied by ministerial Departments regarding their use of BSL. This reporting will
give us a much better understanding of how BSL is being used across the government,
and how we can continue to improve communication for D/deaf BSL users.</p><p> </p><p>I
will also be creating a non-statutory board of BSL users which can advise the Government
on matters pertaining to BSL. To complement the approach set out in the Bill, we are
also developing a suite of non-statutory measures which will help promote and facilitate
the use of BSL. These include:</p><p>o examining how we might increase the number
of BSL interpreters;</p><p>o reviewing how we might work in DWP to ensure the Access
to Work fund helps BSL users; and</p><p>o aiming to update the National Disability
Strategy to facilitate and promote BSL usage.</p>
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