Deaf don't sign: Official

To contact us Click HERE

Or at least nowhere near  ANY of the claims deaf groups and charities have insisted on the last 10-15 years, but  we always knew the claims couldn't be substantiated i.e. until now.    The answer is still of little use to those with hearing loss (Still said to be near 10 million people,until that gets challenged too), or to their support areas.  Sign Health said:
" Just 15,487 people said BSL is their main  language in the survey compiled by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and this highlights the  fragile nature of the community.   This is the first time the Deaf population using BSL has been represented in the national census. 
These figures, which are much lower than previous estimates, show they are very much a  minority and therefore protection needs to be even greater.  SignHealth says public services need to have coherent plans to meet the needs of such a small and marginalised population. "
We haven't got the answers, as the deaf lobby in insisting BSL was included under 'language', it wasted a chance to determine what we all REALLY use as communication, so we can get rid of and/or choices that hold us all back.  BSL for this grouping,  lip-reading for that, this charity will support that charity won't, this is the real face of what is going on.   The majority are clearly using anything and everything with no emphasis on mode, what works they use, just as we all KNEW.   The Census question should have been "What communication means do you use ?"  [list] etc  Instead they went for the political recognition of sign language,  so we wait another 10 years to ask that question again.  SO we have no idea what lip-readers there are, what text dependent numbers are tc, what Hearing aid, use there is etc.....
The idea of a census isn't to play deaf politics  it is to gather data to determine the needs of the population, and how to meet it.  It achieved nothing in real terms.
ATR feels completely vindicated that after 9 years of total opposition from 'Deaf' areas in the UK when I  and others challenged the 50/60/70/90,000 BSL users and counting upwards claims the BDA and others insisted on, we had a fair idea they were actually made up.   What we can hope for now is those statistics are not taken to mean it isn't worth producing an national deaf support set-up any more, because the numbers are too small.  BSL numbers are small, others deaf and HI means are NOT.  But without ANY statistics on what the 10 million use, we can be but pessimistic.
Celebrating BSL census  inclusion has produced WHAT ? in regards to raising the urgent needs of deaf and hearing loss support, the fact few deaf actually use SIGN now ?    Who signs ?  clearly, not many deaf do.  CI's are making real inroads into signed culture.    Are pundits right ? 15 years will see hardly any sign dependent deaf  emerging from education?  The USA commented on the decline of sign use, now the UK has confirmed it here.  We can hope now priorities are arranged in relation to need and not preference, and certainly not deaf politics.  What price deafhood now....
One congratulation is in order, it can be very few disabled who can claim such worldwide recognition of such an minority communication form.   Sadly their numbers claim can now be challenged.   Wales has 500,000 welsh speakers, they are being shouted down on a daily basis... BSL deaf today really ARE a minority now. The light has gone from Amber to Red.  Time to unite for the common good I would have thought.