Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis has pledged her support for a new British Sign Language (BSL) Bill being put forward by West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper.

Rosie Cooper’s BSL Bill, which aims to recognise BSL as a language in law and place a responsibility on the government to issue guidance and publish reports on its usage, will receive its first ever Parliamentary debate this Friday (January 28).

Ms Cooper is the daughter of profoundly deaf parents, and grew up using sign language at home.

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The Bill has been backed by Strictly winner Rose, the competition's first ever deaf contestant and winner, who has been instrumental in ensuring as many people as possible across the country know about the Bill. Rose is now calling on MPs to back it.

The Strictly Come on Dancing star has also encouraged people to contact their own MPs, asking for them to back the Bill on Friday.

Appearing recently on ITV’s This Morning, the 27-year-old actress discussed the matter with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield alongside her professional dance partner from the BBC competition, Giovanni Pernice.

The 27-year-old, who has been deaf since birth, welcomed the rise in interest in sign language that she had inspired and said she wants to see BSL recognised as an official language.

She said: “Sign language needs to be more appreciated. It’s got such a rich history. The first record of sign language in the UK was 400 years ago so people don’t realise it’s such a beautiful language and it’s got its own grammar and its own structure, so it's really nice to see that people are inspired and want to learn."

She welcomed the fact that lots of young girls from the deaf community had become inspired by her to embrace their love of performing, and highlighted the importance of the Bill and what it could achieve.

Rose added: “It's been recognised as a language but it’s not been official as a language and that becomes such a big problem. For example, I have heard so many stories, and it’s still happening now, that some deaf people go to a doctor’s appointment and ask for an interpreter and they don’t provide an interpreter, so they end up using their child to translate or using a family member and that should not be done but because it's not an official language, they can’t do anything about it.

"So if we can change that and make it an official language we can get so much protection."

Phillip Schofield asked: "Are you talking to MP's about this? Is this going to be debated?"

To which Rose replied: "Yeah, she's called Rosie Cooper and she's an MP and her parent is deaf so she is going to start a debate."

In support of the Bill, she added: “If it goes through, it will become an official language.”

West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper
West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper

The bill is a simple instrument that will declare BSL as an official language of the UK and provide for improved guidance to be issued by the Secretary of State to public services and government departments.

If it passes the second reading of the Bill, which is the first time MPs get the chance to debate it, it will receive a committee stage discussion. A third reading later in the year would see it on the way to becoming law.

Ms Cooper has told how she is the daughter of profoundly deaf parents and grew up with British Sign Language as her first language. She has said that Rose appearing on Strictly has brought the important issue 'into every living room across the country'.

Speaking earlier this month, the MP said: "Rose Ayling-Ellis has brought this incredibly important issue into every living room via TV screens across the country while she conquered Strictly Come Dancing. As the daughter of profoundly deaf parents, I grew up with BSL as my first language, so to see it being used every weekend on Strictly is phenomenal.

"So many people are signing up to learn BSL and have a much clearer understanding of what BSL is and why it essential that we recognise it as an official language. There are around 90,000 deaf people in the UK that rely on BSL, yet they have to fight every day to be heard or listened to! My Bill aims to help put deaf BSL users on a more equal playing field with everyone else, to require the Government to work with deaf people to develop guidance on how public bodies should enable the use of BSL across their services."

Meanwhile, politics students at Ormskirk’s Edge Hill University have produced a detailed document for Ms Cooper ahead of the debate, including interviews with the head of Edge Hill’s Sign Language Society, former Minister for Disabled People Maria Eagle MP and detailed research on BSL use in the UK.

The students found that there are an estimated 151,000 sign language users in the UK and some 87,000 of those use sign language as their first language. Despite its widespread use there is still a national shortage of BSL interpreters making it difficult for deaf people to communicate in everyday situations like going to the doctors, with some career paths still impossible to pursue and potential difficulties in playing a full role in public life.

Edge Hill University BA (Hons) Politics and Sociology student, Alex Woodhead, said: “I’m partially deaf in both ears so I was really keen to play a part in this project, helping to get more support for deaf people as well as fighting discrimination. Rosie Cooper’s passion has been really inspiring; she knows the issues from her own background and is determined to make a difference.”

West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper said: “I want to thank all the students that worked on this research at the Politics Lab. The information, data and first-hand accounts they collected will be invaluable to me when drafting my speech for the debate on 28 January and in convincing other MPs to back the Bill.

“This is such an important issue to me. Growing up surrounded by deaf people and deaf culture, they gave me so much and this is my opportunity to pay them back. This is not a solo effort of course, although my name is on the Bill it is all hands-on deck. That is why I am so grateful that an extensive piece of research like this has been produced from within my constituency! The students have done their University proud.”

The MP has also continued to receive support for the Bill ahead of the debate on January 28, holding a virtual drop in session on January 19 to promote it with David Buxton, Chair of the British Deaf Association.

The event was open to MPs from all parties to speak to Rosie and representatives of deaf organisations, all of whom use BSL as their first language, about the current issues facing deaf people and what the Bill hopes to achieve, and was well attended by MPs across all parties, including Government Minister for Disabled People Chloe Smith MP, who has engaged with Rosie Cooper in developing the Bill.

Ms Cooper said: “I am delighted at the turnout and positive response to the Bill! It was fantastic to see so many MPs wanting to learn about BSL, the difficulties that deaf people face and how my Bill hopes to improve this situation for all BSL users. My deepest thanks go to the volunteers from the deaf community that spoke to MPs, and to their interpreters. This event was only possible because of the generosity they showed in sharing their experiences and explaining to MPs that this Bill is greatly needed.

“It was also a pleasure to welcome Chloe Smith MP, Minister for Disabled People to the event and I have been encouraged by her engagement when developing this bill. I am really hopeful we can get this Bill past the finish line and truly make a difference to people’s lives.”

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