Government claims credit for huge rise in Deafblind interpreters, despite providing just £15,000

The government has tried to claim credit for a scheme that will significantly increase the number of interpreters trained to support Deafblind people, despite providing just £15,000 in new funding.

In one of the Labour government’s few non-employment-related announcements aimed at addressing the barriers in society faced by disabled people, the disability minister said the grant would increase the number of registered interpreters for Deafblind people from just eight to 68.

The government said the funding would pay for assessments of 60 interpreters through “bespoke sessions, held over a series of weekends”, and support the expansion of a register of interpreters for Deafblind people, rather than paying for the training of the new interpreters.

It said the £15,000 would “drive one of the largest increases in specialist interpretation capacity in recent years”.

And it said that thousands of Deafblind people across the country would benefit from improved access to communication support as a result of the funding.

The grant funding was designed in collaboration with the government’s independent BSL Advisory Board, which had set up a working group to address the lack of interpreters for Deafblind people.

To develop the competency sessions, the board consulted with Signature, which promotes and teaches British Sign Language (BSL) and awards qualifications in BSL and other Deaf- and Deafblind-related qualifications, and the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people (NRCPD), the national regulator of professionals working in the field.

There are currently just eight registered interpreters for Deafblind people, despite a population of about 12,000 Deafblind people.

The government claimed this week that the funding was “part of the government’s broader commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity and putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of everything it does” and would “help ensure that more people can access the support they need to get on in life”.

Asked why the funding was so low, a government spokesperson said: “The government is providing £15,000 for the assessment of 60 interpreters.

“The funding will see one of the largest increases in specialist capacity in recent years and massively ease supply pressures among interpreters.

“Deafblind people will gain access to essential support more efficiently as the ratio between specialised interpreters and the community improves significantly.”

In a press release announcing the funding, the government claimed it was “moving forward with its work to develop a UK Government Plan for Disability”.

It is now nearly two years since Labour came to power.

But this week’s release suggested the government’s disability plan would contain few immediate new measures on disability rights, saying instead that it would “outline current efforts to support disabled people and set out a vision that will show what this government is aiming to achieve for disabled people in the longer term”.

Outlining the government’s achievements so far in the press release, it was only able to point to its work supporting the BSL Advisory Board and promoting BSL across government, and attempting to address its own backlog in Access to Work claims.

Sir Stephen Timms (pictured), the minister for social security and disability, said: “This government recognises that too many Deafblind people have faced barriers simply because specialist support has not been available where it is needed most.

“This grant funding will start to address that.”

He said the £15,000 grant meant the government was “delivering real change for the Deafblind community”.

Dr Joanna Atkinson, co-chair of the BSL Advisory Board, said: “Deafblind people communicate in different ways including tactile forms of British Sign Language.

“Expanding the number of sign language interpreters with expertise in working with Deafblind people represents a major step forward so Deafblind people can access information, take part and get on with their lives.

“We are confident that the rollout of these sessions will help meet increasing demand for qualified BSL interpreters for Deafblind people, strengthen the quality and availability of services, and create better opportunities for the thousands of Deafblind people who depend on them.”

Asked to comment on the government providing just £15,000 in funding, the charity Deafblind UK said: “Any investment in this area is a positive step, particularly given the significant unmet need and the impact that effective communication support can have on individuals’ independence, wellbeing and access to essential services.

“At the same time, it is important to recognise that this is just one part of a much wider picture.

“We would encourage a continued focus on long-term investment in workforce development and service provision to ensure that people who are deafblind can consistently access high-quality communications support wherever they live.”