VRS Today! Roadshow - Follow Up
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Telecommunication Access for BSL Users

 

After the recent success of the VRS Today! Roadshow, more people are beginning to recognise the need for change in telecommunications for deaf people. MSP Cathie Craigie, who is also campaigining for the a BSL Act for Scotland, put forward the motion about the importance of new technologies that would allow for telecommunications equality for the BSL community and we are delighted to see that 14 other MSPs supported this in Parliament.

Taken from the Scottish Parliament Business Bulletin No. 27/2011: Monday 21 February 2011. 

 

S3M-7951 Cathie Craigie: Telecommunication Access for BSL Users

That the Parliament believes that the estimated
6,000 Deaf people in Scotland whose first or preferred language is British Sign
Language (BSL) have a right to access telecommunications in a manner equivalent
to the way in which hearing people use the phone every day and that current
text-based solutions for Deaf people do not provide equal access; considers
that new economic research demonstrates that if an open, competitive, UK-wide
market for video relay services for BSL users were established, significant net
benefits for the economy would be created, and calls on members to work with
other parliamentarians across the UK to take appropriate action to address this
matter and create a genuine opportunity for telecommunications equality for the
BSL community for the first time.

 

Supported by: Jackie Baillie*, Hugh Henry*,
Patricia Ferguson*, Hugh O’Donnell*, Elaine Murray*, Mr Frank McAveety*, Helen
Eadie*, Bill Butler*, John Park*, Kenneth Gibson*, Stuart McMillan*, Elaine Smith*,
Mary Mulligan*, Bill Kidd*

S3M-7951 Telecommunication Access for BSL Users
(lodged on 16 February 2011) Jack McConnell*, Trish Godman*

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/businessBulletin/bb-11/bb-02-21f.htm

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