On Monday, Richard met up with Tom Lichy, Head of Policy at the British Deaf Association in Parliament at a drop-in for MPs to mark the start of Sign Language Week.
Richard Fuller MP said:
The event provided an opportunity to be briefed on government progress on the BSL Act 2022 since it was passed and to learn more about the British Deaf Association’s latest campaign to ensure every child has access to BSL.
Enabling our deaf citizens to lead full and fulfilling lives is an ongoing task. Locally groups like Access Bedford continue to do a great job to fulfil this mission.
Founded in 1890, the British Deaf Association is the UK’s only national representative organisation of Deaf people and British Sign Language. As a Deaf-led membership charity, led and represented by Deaf people for Deaf people, they campaign and advocate for equal rights to fully participate and contribute to society as equal and valued citizens.
BSL is the first or preferred language of approximately 151,000 people in the UK, around 87,000 who are Deaf and for whom English may be a second or third language.