Nina Thomas' article in Limping Chicken today is absolutely spot on.

“I worry that people mistake awareness for change. The challenges facing d/Deaf people right now are very complex and the changes needed are serious and important”

— Nina Thomas

She points out that the Monday after The Silent Child won its Oscar, the British government blocked the proposal to teach BSL at GCSE level in schools. It reminded me of an interesting occasion when John Kerry visited Ethiopia, and said in a press conference "we remain committed to our partnership with Ethiopia..." etc. An Ethiopian journalist asked him, "Is it lip-service, or are you seriously concerned...?" Kerry was flustered because in everyday English "serious" really means "not joking". This is interesting linguistically because in East Africa "are you serious" means "are you doing something about this, or is it just words?" It is a clear and I think helpful distinction between words and actions that we should all be very clear about. Radiolab cover this very nicely (no transcript, I'm afraid). 

There is a meaningful difference between taking something seriously and acting to fix it, and English and our politics endemically confounds the words with the actions.

Deaf people do not need lip-service. They need a hand.

It's a very boring title, but this is the document that tells the NHS who is and who isn't a BSL Interpreter for health settings.

The whole Specification is right HERE. I found it here. The video above is the first in a playlist of six videos that cover the whole review report (not the actual specification, which I cannot find in BSL. That's a whole other discussion....)

The Specification document, section 7.2, item 31, on page 28, says this:

“Organisations MUST ensure that communication professionals (including British Sign Language interpreters and deafblind manual interpreters) used in health and social care settings have:
Appropriate qualifications; AND
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance AND
Signed up to a relevant professional code of conduct.”

— Specification document, section 7.2, item 31, on page 28

I have highlighted the right bit in the Specification on this link. So, if your hospital, GP, dentist, midwife whatever provides you with an unqualified signer or anybody who does not meet these criteria, COMPLAIN. Show them this document, show them the right section, and tell them never to do it again. If they make a fuss or blame an agency, complain via the CQC here.

NHS providers have a duty to provide appropriate communication support and this document says what "appropriate" means. Booking through an agency who provides inappropriate interpreters does not discharge their duty under this standard (or in my opinion the Equality Act 2010).

“It would help if everyone attended deaf culture training or spent more time with the deaf person to understand their communication needs. There’s still a long way to go.”

— Dan Jarvis. Guardian US Edition 27/03/18

It's a paid-for University of Queensland puff-piece, but nevertheless - Yay Dan Jarvis.

“There is no doubt in my mind that human diversity is what colours our world. We know from experience that labels can’t hold us back. We can change the world one person at a time simply by being our true selves.”

— Dan Jarvis. Guardian US Edition 27/03/18

Listen to Darren Townsend-Hanscomb on Saturday Live this morning discussing the Gambia Interpreting Project. Starts at 41m approximately.

From the lovely Darren Townsend-Handscomb:

Supporting Deaf Gambians to access family, education and employment by training and paying salaries of Gambian Sign Language (GSL) Interpreters. Four interpreters isn't enough, so we're raising £26,000 to train more. 

The Gambia Interpreter Project

This project combines financial support (travel and salaries) with practical support (providing interpreter training, laptops and video cameras), working with interpreters to develop strategies to grow, professionalise and sustain interpreting services. We’re raising additional funds to grow the number of interpreters. We aim to:
    •    Support the GSL teachers to develop their GSL resources, curricula and assessment.
    •    Select people with potential to become interpreters.
    •    Provide them with four weeks GSL training.
    •    Three weeks Introduction to Interpreting training.
    •    Six weeks opportunity to shadow the existing interpreters.
    •    Two weeks practical interpreter training and assessment.

The project will then pay the salaries of the trainee interpreters for a specified period or until they gain employment, as well as provide previously mentioned necessary equipment. 

Please click the ‘Donate now’ button to see what your donation will provide. Any amount, big or small, helps. Thank you. 

The Gambia Deaf Children Support Project process our donations. They have charitable status for tax purposes and are registered for Gift Aid (Ref: XT21686)

DONATE NOW

by Thomas K. Holcomb and David H. Smith, Editors

Yep - This looks very exciting.

As the ASL-English interpreting field has become professionalized, there is a growing disconnect between interpreters and the Deaf consumers they serve. Whereas interpreting used to be a community-based practice, the field is growing into a research-based profession that begins in a classroom rather than in the Deaf community. Despite the many gains being made in the interpreting services profession, with an emphasis on the accuracy of the interpreted work, the perspectives of Deaf individuals are rarely documented in the literature. Opportunities for enhanced participation and full inclusion need to be considered in order for Deaf people to best represent themselves to the hearing, nonsigning public as competent and intelligent individuals.

Click for more on the Gallaudet website.