Campaign role

Campaign Ambassador

BSL in our Hands Campaign

ROLE DESCRIPTION

The BDA wants you to bring your
personal experience, as a parent of a deaf child,

to help us make a lasting impact for
deaf children in the Early Years.

Your support is vital to our
campaigning and #TakingBSLForward.

Our vision

In the wake of the BSL Act 2022,
the BDA launched a 10-year strategy,

“Taking BSL Forward”.

Our goal is that every deaf baby,
child and adult in the UK will have a

good quality of life where there are no
communication barriers and

British Sign Language (BSL/ISL)
is provided a space to flourish.

One of the core areas of focus in our
strategy is Early Years. We believe it is

a vital time of a child’s development and
by adding value here, the issues affecting

Deaf people later in life can be avoided.

BSL in Our Hands Campaign

We launched the ‘BSL In Our Hands’
campaign in March 2024, calling for

the Government to fund free BSL/ISL lessons
in the home for the parents and families

with deaf babies and children.

There are over 50,000 deaf children
across the UK, over 90% of whom are

born to hearing parents with no
knowledge of sign language.

Babies start to develop language from birth.
Early language acquisition is essential

for a child’s development and wellbeing,
yet access to sign language is limited,

and the provision is patchy and expensive.

We believe that offering access to
both sign - and spoken language,

reduces the risk of deaf children
becoming language deprived.

We believe that with the right access
to language, there's no limit to what a

deaf child can achieve.

Meet Lara (not her real name)

Lara is Deaf and grew up deprived of a
language as her family are all hearing

can’t sign. She couldn’t follow the
conversation around the dinner table

and struggled with everyday interactions.
The Audiologist advised her parents not

to introduce and use sign language.
Their education policy stated that use of

sign language would affect the development
of speech. The recommendation was that

they should raise her as they
would were she a hearing child.

Her parents learned of the BDA’s
Deaf Roots & Pride project,

from a Teacher of the Deaf, and took
Lara there. To their amazement,

Lara immediately connected with all
the deaf children and picked up quickly

on BSL. She was so happy in their
company and her parents realised

the Audiologist’s advice didn’t
meet their daughters’ needs.

Your role as a BDA Campaign Ambassador

We need your support to help children
like Lara. This is a vital role to ensure

campaign’s success.

You will:

Be the voice representing many
parents of deaf children.

Share your story as a
parent of a deaf child/ren.

Highlight the importance of free
BSL/ISL lessons for families/carers

soon after identification.

Campaign for our linguistic rights and
seek to influence the Government’s policies.

Network with key professionals
and politicians.

Support the BDA by carrying
out interviews, providing quotes,

and being a face of the campaign.

Work closely with the
BDA Special Ambassador.

Your Skills and Experience

Ideally you will have:

Passion and motivation
to create change.

Confidence in talking to wide range of
professionals, groups and individuals.

Knowledge and understanding about
Early Years, issues affecting Deaf people,

communities and BSL/ISL.

What can BDA do for you?

Provide a training session
on campaigning skills.

Provide opportunities for you
to meet other parents.

Provide expenses for all costs incurred.

Support you throughout your
campaign ambassador journey.

Consent must be obtained for use of
images or videos of you and your child.

Your child’s identity can be
anonymous if requested.

We hope you will join us as a
BDA Campaign Ambassador

to take BSL forward!

If you are interested, or want more
information, please get in touch with Annie Harris,

Campaigns Manager -
[e-mail]

For further information about
BSL in Our Hands, please visit their website

www.bda.org.uk/bsl-in-our-hands

We look forward to hearing from you
and welcoming you to the BDA’s family.