DEX’s lobbying has been successful.

The Labour Party’s Manifesto 2017 – Jon Trickett MP has told DEX the BSL Bill will be one of the first to be tabled if Labour wins the next election!

“Labour believes in the social model of disability – that it is society which disables people, and it is our job to remove those barriers.

The previous Labour government signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The next Labour government will sign the UNCRPD into UK law.

Labour will act to tackle discrimination, remove barriers and ensure social security delivers dignity and empowerment, not isolation and stigma. Labour will legislate to make terminal illness a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

Autism covers a wide range of conditions that reflect neurological differences among people. We will work with employers, trade unions and public services to improve awareness of neurodiversity in the workplace and in society.

Labour will give British Sign Language full recognition as a recognised language.”