CODA's picking up the support tab?

The whole truth, and nothing but?   The degree of ignorance around BSL usage and support just enables more campaigns, but doesn't explain anything in any real depth. Anecdotal evidence say shortages are NOT the main issue, but, deaf parents preferring their family support them, its 'on tap' and immediate. (One statistic suggests 68% of deaf have rarely if ever uses BSL interpreter support.)  Other issues are that only 1% of deaf sign users are proficient in BSL themselves, not having taken any exams to attain BSL level competences, neither have their children.

ATR draws attention to a 12yr old campaign it ran via the BDA, insisting that NHS GP's and medical staff stop immediately, asking deaf people to bring their children with them to translate, and to respect the law that demands they provide BSL help and professional/neutral support.  The BDA refused to support that request, insisting deaf people had a right to use whatever support they wanted, despite this killing demand, and, putting Deaf patients at risk via family support that lacked training, and were in essence speaking FOR their parents.

As ATR pointed out this meant children as young as 8-10yrs of age were expected to translate for the NHS and explain diagnosis to them, even regarding bad news like cancer, or sensitive areas like sexual education.  ATR complained to Social Services, who explained it was ILLEGAL for deaf parents or families to use ANY child under 16 tears of age, it was deemed abuse.  ATR said even IF they are of that age, the NHS had no way of knowing if the translations provided by family, were accurate or not or subject to bias by CODA's, e.g. how to tell your Dad 'They say you have terminal Cancer', or, 'You have a sexually transmitted disease'  Cases emerged some parents simply weren't told by CODA's because 'They won't understand..'

ATR stepped up a campaign at the NHS directly suggesting, that in the event of a diagnosis not understood by a patients and subsequently got very ill or worse, the NHS said 'Deaf chose family support, the onus is not then on the NHS to be legally  responsible, the NHS has respected deaf choice..' We tried approaching NHS insurance companies, who were unhelpful, because deaf choice passed responsibility to others, and saved the NHS costs hiring a professional Interpreter. Nothing short of a total ban on any amateur BSl support will create any demand.  It has to be said 80% of BSL interpreters do NOT have a medical expertise either, there is a total lack of specialisation in BSL work, with 999 and legal systems etc, it is basically, he said, she said, they said, and hoping at least someone follows everything.  

It is not enough to use medical jargon at people and assume the terp understands it all, or the patient does.  Even social services itself using trained BSL terps to assist, can opt out of issues emerging when misunderstandings reveal themselves, and SS/BSL terps CANNOT be taken to court to testify on who said what, BSL interpreters say NOBODY can guarantee a deaf person follows everything, so a court lists it as 'hearsay' thus inadmissible.  Deaf have NO real cover in reality, unless video recordings are taken in addition to BSL interpretation, but again, systems have another opt out on data protection grounds and privacy.

A shortage of BSL terps is nobody's fault at present, until systems enact the law and only allow professional support provision, that forces demand.   Compromise would be family/friends there to act as 'personal support' but not in any translation role, this offers the best solution, and enables the deaf more likely to be making own decisions, and not allowing others to do it for them.  You cannot be sure in certain sensitive subjects family will not provide bias into the proceedings. Expecting a child to make those decisions is outrageous, deaf need to stop doing it.

NEWS ITEM:

Children are having to translate doctors’ diagnoses to their deaf parents because there’s not enough sign language interpreters, a City Hall Conservative has claimed. Andrew Boff, a Tory member of the London Assembly, branded the situation ‘ridiculous’ and said there was an urgent need for better sign language services.

Mr Boff made the comments at a London mayoral hustings in Westminster hosted by deaf and disabled people’s charity, Inclusion London, on Tuesday (April 9). He was responding to a question from an audience member about what Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall would do to support the British Sign Language (BSL) charter - a list of pledges that aim to improve the rights of deaf people.

Mr Boff said: “There are not enough interpreters. We [have] had situations where young people are being asked, children are being asked, to interpret for their parents when receiving information about diagnoses from doctors. I mean this is a ridiculous situation to be in. We need more interpreters.”

A 2015 City Hall report authored by Mr Boff noted there were less than 1,000 registered BSL interpreters in the UK. The report blamed the shortage of interpreters on the cost and length of training. It said that interpreters often had to study for seven or eight years before becoming fully qualified. A reduction in council grants meant students were increasingly having to seek sponsorship from employers, the report added.

Rachel Blake, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Cities of London and Westminster and a Tower Hamlets councillor, said Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had already signed the BSL charter and was consulting with deaf people. Zoë Garbett, Green Party candidate for mayor of London, said she fully supported the BSL charter and said City Hall politicians needed to be held accountable to make sure they were meeting the pledges within it.

Has the chicken lost its WITS?

ATR covered Welsh WITS issues earlier this month, in order to clarify in depth the issues of BSL Interpretation in Wales, and related issues n England also, sadly Deaf BSL areas chose to ignore it and have instead offered another platform to Cedric Moon in Wales to post the same barely accurate details yet again. It is clear, the blog owners of 'Limping Chicken' deliberately (And after reading the ATR Blog), then refused to allow ATR input to provide Welsh deaf people with a balanced view option..  

ATR, challenged Cedric's version of the issue.  Rows between WITS and freelance BSL terps are common knowledge in Wales.   WITS wants to standardise BSL support (especially in 999 areas), because freelance BSL interpretation was unreliable being primarily part-time in operation, and a significant number of freelance interpreters being unwilling due to various family commitments to be on call 24/7.   This is despite deaf clients being no different to anyone else regarding medical or police/fire help, our needs don't start at 9am of a morning then end at 3pm of an afternoon and support not needed after these hours. 999 is a 24hr system.

It is unfair of Cedric Moon or any other 'Deaf' area to then lay blame on the systems trying to sort out what they obviously cannot, or, for them to kill explanations as to why such issues exist, it is all hype and blame-oriented to promote deaf culture.

Some deaf were actually left without communication support in cells or police/NHS staff, were left having difficulties communicating.  This is the case I understand in England too with terps predominantly pleasing themselves when they are available.  Obviously, ASLI supports freelancers, but has no way to control or organise its own memberships..  There is via post-code issues, issues getting BSL interpretation, it could be rural e.g.  Or just plain and simple lack of interpreters to cover support.  This however is NOT the case in Wales.

Deaf BSL dependents are a 'captive clientele' so the random nature of BSL freelancers, can create havoc. It's about money, availability, family commitments etc.  Some can only work maybe 6-8hrs per week.  Wales, especially S Wales, is over-supported via BSL help. The Senedd moved to support deaf people long before England did, or has yet, in fact 10 YEARS before England got around to it, despite England having the most need, Wales has a very small BSL population, and no deaf schools etc, and a huge percentage of those prefer to use family, not professional BSL help, its free and easily available to deaf, and crucially available 24/7 too.

ATR suggested the BDA recognise that this drives down DEMAND for BSL interpreters, and should recommend the systems refuse to allow unqualified family/friend support.  They refused outright on rights grounds, meaning demand will just get less and less, despite deaf BSL users being at risk in unsupported legal and health systems via decision-making, or getting neutral advice etc.  In courts these deaf are unable to defend themselves, because what BSL terps that do exist, may have no legal training, in reality no Health training either in GP's or Hospitals etc.  It's a dangerous myth BSL terps doing 'he said, you said' etc is enough, and as we know, 'Deaf Awareness' OF systems is poor anyway, it needs sorting, systems suggest WITS are the way to do it.

The issue is about BSL terps in Wales losing work and a decent wage, because WITS wants to normalise that too, erm ... DOWNWARDS. Sign Health is a private endeavour too, vying for work albeit their approach is to centralise BSL access via video relay approaches, which removes the need for an actual person. In reality, the most vulnerable deaf sectors, the elderly in health areas, predominantly use own family.

To be fair WITS is at least trying to get BSL support normalised because it causes issues for the systems and for the deaf themselves, but they should have examined first, HOW BSL interpretation systems work as we do nation-wide, it is disappointing Cedric Moon who is well aware of these issues is not clarifying them.  Sadly there is a 'mind set' of Deaf BSL areas who have own agendas on everything, and don't want facts to interfere with them.  In reality 86% of Welsh deaf issues and campaigns are run from England, as was exposed to the Senedd 4 years ago where ATR identified English BDA areas posting on Welsh sites, but failing to clarify they weren't Welsh or even lived in Wales, they were attempting to suggest issues Wales didn't have..

A lot is passed off via the refusal of charities to accept devolvement retaining a 'national' approach to everything that is creating issues regionally, where decision-making is now taking place. It is also true BSL hardliners are taking advantage of the confusion.  The ASLI cannot control its own membership as regards to bad or poor support, etc, but they cannot afford to upset their membership either, the whole thing is not very sustainable.  Apart from WITS and freelance ASLI terps members, there are a many BSL terps members of neither, and unlisted, with some working for WITS and registered at the ASLI(!),

It is clear free-lance interpretation is not the way ahead for those deaf reliant on BSL, and, is is anyway killing demand for its own services because deaf users go to families who are there 24/7.  The WITS arguments are about a system of BSL fewer deaf are using, interpreter fees, and the need for a reliable 24/7 set up..