Written evidence from Signature
1. We are a charity which promotes excellence
in communication with deaf people. Our vision is one of a society
in which deaf people have full access. It's this vision that drives
our work to achieve a society in which deaf people experience
no communication barriers.
2. Our primary work is as a recognised awarding
body offering nationally accredited qualifications that cover
the whole range of languages and communication methods used by
deaf and deafblind people. We have developed qualifications, established
professional registers for people working as communicators with
deaf and deafblind people, and achieved some major public policy
shifts leading to better service access for deaf and deafblind
people.
3. Signature has been an active member of
the Human Rights Consortium. The Consortium is a coalition of
over 130 NGOs, Trade Unions and Community and Voluntary Groups
which campaigns for the development of a strong and inclusive
Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
4. Whilst the Consortium as a group does
not take any view on the content of the Bill of Rights for Northern
Ireland, campaigning for the Bill to be strong and inclusive,
upholding current protections recognised under international and
regional law, and promoting recognisable gains for the most disadvantaged,
we as an individual organisation welcome the opportunity to detail
some of the advantages a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland would
have for the deaf and hard of hearing community here.
5. In doing so, we welcome the advice handed
over from the Human Rights Commission to the Secretary of State
for Northern Ireland in December 2008 and believe it to be
a positive and comprehensive document. We particularly welcome
its recommendation that social and economic rights are included
in a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
6. Whilst we believe that a Bills of Rights
for Northern Ireland would help create a culture, and a policy
making environment where human rights considerations are at the
forefront, and that this "culture of rights" will benefit
Northern Ireland society in general, the detail of the advice
handed over by the Commission has the potential to deliver clear
and tangible benefits to the deaf and hard of hearing community
in particular.
7. Very specifically we welcome the recommendation
that the right of every child to have access to the Northern Ireland
education curriculum. A report by NIDYA ( the Northern Ireland
Deaf Youth Association ( Big D Little D, 2001) highlighted the
fact that at that stage, nearly 40% of Deaf children in Northern
Ireland were transferring to Post Primary education in England
(or in some cases Dublin) in order to access and undertake a full
range of GCSEs. This clearly has an implication in the child's
right to family life as well. The recommendation from the Commission
could be used directly to challenge this. It would also stem the
"brain drain" of bright young deaf people from Northern
Ireland, benefitting the deaf and hard of hearing community here
as a whole.
8. We also welcome the recommendation that
"everyone has the right to access services essential to life,
health or security through communication with a public authority,
assisted by interpretation or other help where necessary, in a
language (including sign language) and a medium that they understand."
Deaf BSL and ISL users depend on communication support from interpreters
to access basic rights such as housing, healthcare, work and education
and the justice system. In Northern Ireland 11 registered
interpreters are available to support the needs of 5,000 Deaf
people who use sign language ( either BSL or ISL) as their first
language and may not have the facility available when it is needed.
This impacts on other basic rights too. For example the right
to privacy could be easily violated by a Deaf person being dependant
on a family member to interpret for them in a doctors appointment,
when they may not wish the family member to know of their medical
details at that point.
9. We would urge the Committee to put pressure
on the government to commit to the form of wide ranging and engaging
public consultation necessary to elicit the wide support that
exists for a Bill of Rights among the Northern Ireland community
and we would ask for the Committee's support in developing the
Bill of Rights into legislation within the lifetime of this government
in order to finally deliver on this remaining commitment of the
Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
10. We thank the Committee for its consideration
of what the Consortium believes to be one of the most pressing,
relevant and meaningful issues facing Northern Ireland today.
We look forward to reading the results of your inquest and hope
that its conclusions reflect the clear will that exists in Northern
Ireland for a strong and inclusive Bill of Rights.
1 May 2009
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