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Sign Language Bill (Northern Ireland)
The Sign Language Bill is a proposed law of Northern Ireland in the Northern Ireland Assembly, relating to the promotion and recognition of British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language. Background On 1 December 2015, Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure Carál Ní Chuilín announced plans to establish a framework to promote sign language. In March 2016, the Department for Communities consulted on "Sign Language Framework". This framework contained policy proposals for legislation. The 2020 ''New Decade, New Approach'' agreement included a committemnt to the introduction of legislation relating to sign language. The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, Irish Sign Language Act 2017, British Sign Language Act 2022 were passed. In January 2025, a member of the Senedd launched a consultation on a Senedd bill which would promote British Sign Language. Provisions The act requires that public bodies take reasonable steps to ensure that information and services are provided ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon Lyons
Gordon Lyons (born 6 March 1986) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, serving as Minister for Communities since 2024. He has also served as Director of Elections for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since 2021. He was Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2021 to 2022, and has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015. He is the DUP's Spokesperson for Finance, Public Service Reform and the Northern Ireland Protocol as of 2023. Upon his temporary appointment as Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs in 2021, Lyons was described as an "up-and-coming" member of the DUP. In 2024, Lyons had been considered in the running to become Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland but ultimately DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson selected Emma Little-Pengelly. However, in June 2025, he was beaten by DUP backbencher Paul Frew in an internal contest to become party secretary. Amidst the 2025 Northe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department For Communities
The Department for Communities (DfC, Irish Language, Irish: ''An Roinn Pobal''; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster Scots: ''Depairtment fur Commonities'') is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Communities. The department was previously created in May 2016 following the Fresh Start Agreement and the dissolution of several departments, such as the Department for Social Development (Northern Ireland), Department for Social Development, the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland), Department of the Environment, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Department for Employment and Learning from which several functions have amalgamated. Aim DfC's overall aim is "tackling disadvantage and building sustainable communities". Responsibilities The department's main responsibilities are as follows: * housing (through the Northern Ireland Housing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Sign Language
British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom and is the first or preferred language among the Deafness in the United Kingdom, deaf community in the UK. While private correspondence from William Stokoe hinted at a formal name for the language in 1960, the first usage of the term "British Sign Language" in an academic publication was likely by Aaron Cicourel. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on the 2011 Scottish Census, the British Deaf Association estimates there are 151,000 BSL users in the UK, of whom 87,000 are Deaf. By contrast, in the 2011 England and Wales Census 15,000 people living in England and Wales reported themselves using BSL as their main language. People who are not deaf may also use BSL, as hearing relatives of deaf people, sign language interpreters or as a result of other contact with the British Deaf community. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands, bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Sign Language
Irish Sign Language (ISL, ) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is more closely related to French Sign Language (LSF) than to BSL, though it has influence from both languages. It has influenced sign languages in Australia and South Africa, and has little relation to either spoken Irish or English. ISL is unique among sign languages for having different gendered versions due to men and women being taught it at different schools all over Ireland. Development The earliest known references to signing in Ireland come from the 18th century. According to Ethnologue, the language has influence from both French Sign Language (LSF) and British Sign Language (BSL), as well as from signed French and signed English, BSL having been introduced in Dublin in 1816. The first school for deaf children in Ireland, the Claremont Institution, was established in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of Culture, Arts And Leisure (Northern Ireland)
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL; ; ) was a devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department was the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure. After the election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2016, the DCAL was closed and its roles and functions were amalgamated with other departments in order to reduce the size of the Northern Ireland Executive. Aim DCAL's overall vision was a "confident, creative, informed and healthy society". It described its mission as delivering economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in Northern Ireland by "unlocking the full potential of the culture, arts and leisure sectors." The last Minister was Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin). The Minister was, by virtue of office, the Keeper of the Records for Northern Ireland. Responsibilities The department had the following main responsibilities: *architecture; *the art ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carál Ní Chuilín
Carál Ní Chuilín (; born 18 December 1964), formerly known as Caroline Cullen, is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer serving as the Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2024. She has been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast North since 2007 and served in the Northern Ireland Executive as Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure until 2016. On 15 June 2020, she was appointed Minister for Communities on a temporary basis, due to the health of the previous minister, Deirdre Hargey. Personal life Ní Chuilín was born and raised in the New Lodge area of Belfast.Sinn Féin website biography Sinn Féin. She graduated from the |
New Decade, New Approach
New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) is a 9 January 2020 agreement which restored the government of the Northern Ireland Executive after a three-year hiatus triggered by the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. It was negotiated by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith and Irish Tánaiste Simon Coveney. On 11 January 2020, the Executive was re-formed with Arlene Foster as First Minister and Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill as deputy first minister following the New Decade, New Approach agreement. All five parties joined the government; other ministers include Edwin Poots (DUP); Robin Swann (UUP), Nichola Mallon (SDLP), Gordon Lyons (DUP), and Declan Kearney (SF). Alliance Party leader Naomi Long was appointed justice minister. At the first session of the assembly, Foster stated that it was "time for Stormont to move forward". As part of the agreement, many of the proposals sought by nationalists under an Irish Language Act would be implemented by amending existing l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015
The British Sign Language Act 2015 (asp 11) is an act of the Scottish Parliament, which legally recognises British Sign Language (BSL) as a language of Scotland. It also requires the Scottish ministers to develop a "National Plan", the first of which was published on 24 October 2017. Passage The British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament as a private members' bill on 29 October 2014 by Mark Griffin. The Bill gained cross-party and Government support before passing its second and third reading in the Scottish Parliament without any difficulties. It received royal assent on 22 October 2015. Legal effect The Act legally recognises British Sign Language as a language of Scotland, a similar status to Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Sco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Sign Language Act 2017
The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 ( Act No. 13 of 2017; previously Bill No. 40 of 2017) is an Act of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) which gives Irish Sign Language official legal status. Background Broadly, before the bill was passed there were large swathes of public services that were inaccessible to deaf people. In 2015, it was noted by Mental Health Reform that unless a user of mental health services books an interpreter in advance, there is no way to communicate this in advance. In 2017, the Citizens Information Board published a report criticising a lack of interpreters in public organisations as undermining of the self-worth of deaf people and quite possibly clinically dangerous in a medical context due to the possibility of a misunderstanding leading to significant clinical risk. In 2020, primary education was criticised as extremely exclusionary and inaccessible to deaf children. The campaign for Irish Sign Language to gain legal recognition took 35 years from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Sign Language Act 2022
The British Sign Language Act 2022 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which legally recognises British Sign Language (BSL) as a language of England, Scotland and Wales. It also requires the Secretary of State to publish reports each reporting period on how BSL is promoted or facilitated by certain government department. The first of these reports was published on 31 July 2023. Passage The British Sign Language Bill was introduced to the House of Commons as a private members' bill on 16 June 2021 by Rosie Cooper. The bill gained cross-party and government support before passing its second and third reading in the House of Commons and Lords without any difficulties. It received royal assent on 28 April 2022. Legal effect The act legally recognises British Sign Language as a language of England, Scotland and Wales, a similar status to Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. It requires the government to publish reports on how the language is used in its public co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Member Of The Senedd
A member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; ; , plural: ) is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd constituency, Senedd constituencies, and twenty to represent the five Senedd electoral regions, electoral regions of the Senedd in Wales. Each person in Wales is represented by five MSs: one for their local constituency (encompassing their local area where they reside), and another four covering their electoral region (a large grouping of constituencies). Wales's five electoral regions are Mid and West Wales (Senedd electoral region), Mid and West Wales, North Wales (Senedd electoral region), North Wales, South Wales Central (Senedd electoral region), South Wales Central, South Wales East (Senedd electoral region), South Wales East and South Wales West (Senedd electoral region), South Wales West. A holder of this office was formerly known as an assembly member (AM; plural: AM ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legal Recognition Of Sign Languages
The legal recognition of signed languages differs widely. In some jurisdictions (countries, states, provinces or regions), a signed language is recognised as an official language; in others, it has a protected status in certain areas (such as education). Although a government may stipulate in its constitution (or laws) that a "signed language" is recognised, it may fail to specify signed language; several different signed languages may be commonly used. The most frequently used framework for the legal recognition of sign languages, adopted and further developed by the World Federation of the Deaf, was developed by Dr Maartje De Meulder. Extending legal recognition is a major concern of Deaf culture. Symbolic recognition does not guarantee an improvement in the lives of signed-language users, and it has been argued that signed languages should be supported not merely as an accommodation for disabled people, but as a communication medium in language communities. Status by country ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
