BSL Marches

Over 700 people made the first Manchester march for the official recognition of British Sign Language an exciting, colourful and diverse day. Society treats the 70,000 people that have BSL as their first or only language as inferior citizens: deaf kids are forced to try to learn English; highly controversial cochlea implants are pushed to ‘cure’ deafness and sold at a profit; many people are not given the choice to learn BSL.

A samba band joined the march and also a hearing and a deaf town crier (with a flashing light instead of a bell). One arrest was made when 50 people sat in the road to keep warm, some chained cosily together, while others climbed scaffolding to hang banners.

Source Manchester EF! 0161 2266814, mancef@nematode.freeserve.co.uk

And Also

At another march on April 7th in Wolverhampton, 6 people were arrested and charged. They were with 30 others trying to block the traffic to bring attention to the campaign for BSL recognition.

Messages of support to irishsmile@totalise.co.uk, contact curlie@hair69.freeserve.co.uk info www.fdp.org.uk. See diary for next march.