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Campaign Ambassador
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BSL in our Hands Campaign
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ROLE DESCRIPTION
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The BDA wants you to bring your
personal experience, as a parent of a deaf child,
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to help us make a lasting impact for
deaf children in the Early Years.
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Your support is vital to our
campaigning and #TakingBSLForward.
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Our vision
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In the wake of the BSL Act 2022,
the BDA launched a 10-year strategy,
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“Taking BSL Forward”.
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Our goal is that every deaf baby,
child and adult in the UK will have a
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good quality of life where there are no
communication barriers and
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British Sign Language (BSL/ISL)
is provided a space to flourish.
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One of the core areas of focus in our
strategy is Early Years. We believe it is
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a vital time of a child’s development and
by adding value here, the issues affecting
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Deaf people later in life can be avoided.
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BSL in Our Hands Campaign
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We launched the ‘BSL In Our Hands’
campaign in March 2024, calling for
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the Government to fund free BSL/ISL lessons
in the home for the parents and families
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with deaf babies and children.
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There are over 50,000 deaf children
across the UK, over 90% of whom are
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born to hearing parents with no
knowledge of sign language.
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Babies start to develop language from birth.
Early language acquisition is essential
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for a child’s development and wellbeing,
yet access to sign language is limited,
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and the provision is patchy and expensive.
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We believe that offering access to
both sign - and spoken language,
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reduces the risk of deaf children
becoming language deprived.
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We believe that with the right access
to language, there's no limit to what a
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deaf child can achieve.
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Meet Lara (not her real name)
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Lara is Deaf and grew up deprived of a
language as her family are all hearing
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can’t sign. She couldn’t follow the
conversation around the dinner table
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and struggled with everyday interactions.
The Audiologist advised her parents not
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to introduce and use sign language.
Their education policy stated that use of
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sign language would affect the development
of speech. The recommendation was that
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they should raise her as they
would were she a hearing child.
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Her parents learned of the BDA’s
Deaf Roots & Pride project,
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from a Teacher of the Deaf, and took
Lara there. To their amazement,
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Lara immediately connected with all
the deaf children and picked up quickly
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on BSL. She was so happy in their
company and her parents realised
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the Audiologist’s advice didn’t
meet their daughters’ needs.
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Your role as a BDA Campaign Ambassador
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We need your support to help children
like Lara. This is a vital role to ensure
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campaign’s success.
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You will:
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Be the voice representing many
parents of deaf children.
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Share your story as a parent of a deaf child/ren.
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Highlight the importance of free BSL/ISL
lessons for families/carers soon after identification.
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Campaign for our linguistic rights and
seek to influence the Government’s policies.
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Network with key professionals and politicians.
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Support the BDA by carrying out interviews,
providing quotes, and being a face of the campaign.
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Work closely with the BDA Special Ambassador.
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Your Skills and Experience
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Ideally you will have:
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Passion and motivation to create change.
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Confidence in talking to wide range of
professionals, groups and individuals.
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Knowledge and understanding about
Early Years, issues affecting Deaf people,
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communities and BSL/ISL.
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What can BDA do for you?
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Provide a training session on campaigning skills.
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Provide opportunities for you
to meet other parents.
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Provide expenses for all costs incurred.
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Support you throughout your
campaign ambassador journey.
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Consent must be obtained for use of
images or videos of you and your child.
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Your child’s identity can be
anonymous if requested.
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We hope you will join us as a
BDA Campaign Ambassador to take BSL forward!
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If you are interested, or want more
information, please get in touch with Annie Harris,
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Campaigns Manager -
annie.harris@bda.org.uk
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For further information about
BSL in Our Hands, please visit their website
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www.bda.org.uk/bsl-in-our-hands
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We look forward to hearing from you
and welcoming you to the BDA’s family.
