Tessa Padden: Politicians must learn to talk deaf people's language

THE televised leaders' debates have shown just how desperate the parties and politicians are to get their message across. But in arguably the most importantgeneral election in decades, almost 100,000 people have neither been spoken to norheard in their own language.

That's the estimated number of deaf people in the UK who rely on British Sign Language (BSL). They are the most ignored and invisible community on the

political spectrum.

The BSL:UPTAKE project, established last year at Heriot-Watt University, has a remit to improve dialogue and knowledge exchange between the world of politics, public policy and the deaf community.

Heriot-Watt's main partner in the project is the Scottish Government's Equality Unit.

As far as we can see, the only party that has ever produced information in British Sign Language for anational election anywhere in the UK has been the Scottish Green Party. In 2007, it produced two videos for the Scottish Parliament and Scottish

council elections, which were held on the same day in May 2007. Just five minutes of information, by one of the smaller political parties in Scotland, seems to be the only information targeted at deaf people so far in any election in Britain. Not

really enough, is it?

The Scottish Government has devoted more resources to making information available in BSL. In November 2009, it held a National Conversation Event for Deaf people in Glasgow, with a deaf chair and BSL/English interpretation throughout.

This was filmed and made available on the Scottish Government channel on YouTube. Two Scottish Government consultations have had summaries translated into British Sign Language, by deaf first-language BSL users.

But with just days to go before the UK goes to the polls, it seems that little or nothing is being done to inform deaf people in their own language of the key

issues. This should serve as a wake-up call to all of the political parties to inform – and consult – deaf people in the same way that they would any other

section of the electorate.

Deaf people are voters – or potential voters – once every few years. But they are also citizens of the UK, and of Scotland, all the time, all day and every day.

Politicians need to recognise their rights as citizens, and make sure deaf people, from childhood throughout their lives, have the same access to information

as hearing people have.

Dr Steven Emery, a former research associate at Heriot-Watt University, talked about deaf people and the political process in a presentation that is published

in the Scottish Government equality unit's "The Long and Winding Road" In it, he says: "…all (deaf] groups wanted to discuss the voting process and the role of politicians. Some people did reflect on how they became political, but it was

mostly with people believing they lacked information to make choices how to vote…

more importantly, they gave evidence that politicians did not understand the deaf community or its priorities. That hindered their ability to engage in the political process."

Not only deaf people, but politicians, civil servants and others would understand more about deaf people's political rights and the barriers they face if they would take the time to consult this and other important research.

Deaf people should be engaged in the political process all the time, not only at elections.

• Tessa Padden works in the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot-Watt University on the BSL:UPTAKE project.

www.bsluptake.org.uk/