North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has today welcomed a new free advocacy service which will allow deaf people to have the same access as everyone else.
Speaking at the British Deaf Association’s Wales’ Advocacy Wales Service launch, which he sponsored, Mr Isherwood, who is himself a hearing-aid wearer, said the service seeks to work in real and equal partnership with service providers, to complement and add value to existing services.
He said:
“Key to the BDA Advocacy Wales Service is that this is a project for Deaf people led by Deaf people providing individual and community advocacy.
“BDA stands not only for “British Deaf Association”, but also for “Deaf Equality, Access and Freedom of Choice”. They are passionate about the rights of Deaf people and are committed to ensuring Deaf people have full access to the range of services available to the wider community.
“Their Advocacy service is for the Deaf community and it is free, independent and confidential. Their Advocates are fluent in British Sign Language (BSL) and will be able to meet a range of communication needs.
“Critically, the BDA is independent, which means they are not influenced by any statutory or non-statutory organisation and can be counted on to be on your side to support you through your issues.”
He added: “At this launch, BDA Wales are promoting their free Advocacy Service to Local Authorities, Police, Local Health Boards, Social Services and Social Care Wales and other Deaf organisations.
“Many Deaf people who use BSL lack access to education, health services, employment and other public services. BDA Wales is the only organisation who offer this free Advocacy service, to allow Deaf People to have the same access as everyone else.”
The project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, and Mr Isherwood thanked them “for doing the right thing once again.”
In his speech, Mr Isherwood referred to the situation in Conwy, when the Conwy Deaf Community were forced to go to the Ombudsman after their Local Authority de-commissioned BSL Information, Advice and Advocacy Services provided by a Charity they had themselves established for this purpose two decades previously.
He said: “This service had provided the Deaf community with vital support via translation of written correspondence from all Council Services and other services which required Deaf residents to contact the Council, assistance with making telephone calls and engaging with Council and other services - whilst also providing informal Deaf awareness to Council and other service employees regarding the needs of the Deaf person, promoting good future practice and advocating on behalf of the Deaf person as appropriate. In packed meetings, members of the Deaf Community from Conwy told me that they had had their independence taken from them. This must never be allowed to happen again.”
He added:
“Speaking in the Assembly Chamber last month, I quoted a Welsh Government statement from October 2016 which said that “'For Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL), appropriate communication support contributes to social inclusion and equal access to services...as a gateway to opportunities which hearing people take for granted.
“Although the Assembly and Welsh Government do not have specific legislative powers in relation to British Sign Language, the powers we have in relation to equal opportunities would enable us to pass a law in relation to British Sign Language, so long as it relates to the use of BSL by any of the ‘Equal opportunity authorities’.”
