London Buses to Show Sign Language Film
By Raza Mumtaz 'Pakistan Times' Executive Editor/UK Bureau Chief

LONDON (UK): Over 350 buses across London will be showing a new 30-second film about sign language produced by Deaf people, on March 18 and 19, in support of British Sign Language Recognition Day.

The Mayor of London was the first major politician to officially recognize British Sign Language as a language in its own right in March 2001.

Mayor Ken Livingstone said in a statement on Friday: “I hope commuters find the film clip informative.

Londoners communicate in over 300 languages and over 200,000 Deaf and hearing people regularly use British and Irish Sign Language (BSL/ISL).”

British Deaf Association supported by the London City Government has organized a range of activities to mark the occasion.

March 18 is celebrated as British Sign Recognition Language Day every year since Government recognized BSL as a language in its own right on March 18 2003. However, British Sign Language still does not have any legal status.

This means that Deaf people do not have full access to information and services that hearing people take for granted, including in education, health and employment.

In Europe Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Portugal and the Slovak Republic have given their national sign languages legal status in their constitution. Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, Norway and Slovenia recognized their sign languages in secondary legislation.

In the United Kingdom legislation exists only indirectly through the Disability Discrimination Act.●