A council is to demand that the BBC reinstates sign language in its lunchtime news bulletin ahead of a Stormont Bill “enshrining the rights of deaf people”.
The national broadcaster axed sign language from its lunchtime TV news programme in June and moved signed summaries to its website and app.
Members of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) this week criticised the removal of the 90 second segment and will now lobby both the BBC Director General and the Director of BBC NI to bring it back.
SDLP councillor Laura Devlin brought forward the motion, saying:”The recognition and promotion of BSL (British Sign Language) as a legitimate language is crucial for individuals to engage in society.
“The decision by BBC NI to withdraw sign language from their lunchtime news broadcast sends out a really poor message to those who are deaf or hearing impaired who rely on sign language to communicate with others.
“I’ve had an opportunity to speak with a representative of the National Deaf Children’s Society about the impact that this decision has had, not just on those who are deaf, but their wider families.”
She added: “Approximately 6% of our population here are deaf with BSL as their primary language, yet they cannot access the TV news at the same time as others.
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“This segment was only 90 seconds and if you look at the daily TV guide, 90 secs is a very small portion of the day, so I do believe this decision should be reversed.
“We know that the Communities Minister (Gordon Lyons) is yet to publish the long awaited Sign Language Bill, which would enshrine the rights of deaf people to access services in one’s own language.
“The deaf community must have their needs met by government and this begins in their ability to access the news in their own language.”
Uniquely within the UK, Northern Ireland has two sign languages, BSL and Irish Sign Language (ISL). A sign language act was signed into law in the Republic of Ireland in 2017.
Mr Lyons told the Stormont Assembly in February that he would seek approval for a Sign Language Bill at the earliest opportunity.
Alliance ccouncillor Jill Truesdale added: “This move is part of a BBC regional cost cutting exercise.
“They said the sign language summary will be available on its website and app, but not everyone can access their news online.
“There are more than 300,000 people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus in Northern Ireland. There are 4,400 BSL users with a further 1,500 ISL users.
“I am fortunate to have links with the freelance interpreters for the deaf community and they have nothing but praise for the previous Sinn Fein and current DUP Community Minister for pushing sign language forward.
“But this was a huge shock for everybody. All deaf people have the right to access programmes and receive information at the same time as hearing people to counter misinformation and fake news.”
News Catch Up – Wednesday 16 October