Debate contribution: Sign Language Legislation
Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on .
- MLA
- Mr Gordon Lyons
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 20 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Sign Language Legislation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4380911
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I am committed to ensuring that members of the deaf community have the same rights and opportunities as those in the hearing community and are able to access services in their own language. I am aware that profoundly deaf people consider themselves part of a cultural and linguistic minority group rather than a disability group and that they view their sign language as their language of need. Sign language users, like many other minority language users, cannot necessarily read or understand information on government websites, printed leaflets and various types of literature. One of the most pressing issues to be addressed in order to ensure accessibility and fuller social integration for the deaf community in Northern Ireland, therefore, is an increase in the supply of professionally trained and appropriately accredited interpreters. In order to address the current need for more British Sign Language (BSL) and Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreters, my Department is funding Foyle Deaf Association, which is a deaf-led sign language teaching centre in Londonderry, to provide an interpreter training programme to boost capacity. My officials are also exploring options with the Centre for Translation and Interpreting at Queen's University in order to provide an academic route to qualification as an interpreter, further increase capacity and expertise and future-proof a sustainable supply of interpreters. On legislation specifically, my officials have been engaging with key stakeholders, which include the deaf community and their representatives, to develop the policy to inform the drafting of clauses for legislation. As a result of that consultation, I am pleased to confirm that I intend to seek Executive approval to introduce a sign language Bill to the Assembly at the earliest opportunity.
I also intend to seek the resources to put in place the infrastructure necessary to deliver on the intent of the legislation.
300 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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