7th October 2011

WATCH NOW - The Hub Programme 6

Presented by Gavin Lilley and Elizabeth Bojas, this edition of the Hub looks at the explosion of protest which over the past few months has brought Deaf people out onto the streets for the first time in years.  Studio guests, Silvia Symonds and John Walker, discuss and offer an analysis of the protests.

The programme includes a report on the ‘Hardest Hit’ demonstration in London in May 2011 which united Deaf and disabled people in opposition to the possibility of cuts in benefits and services. 

We have also filmed reports of protests around the world – Rome, London, Belfast, San Francisco, Washington DC, Berlin, Madrid and Malta – concerning  the attempt by the Italian government to replace Italian sign language (LIS) with a crude form of mime/gesture called LMG. Thousands of Deaf people took the streets in protest accusing the Italian government of debasing and insulting sign language – and contravening the United Nations Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities.  The Italian government appears to have now backed down but the event has angered Deaf people across the world. 

In contrast the Hub has film of the Icelandic parliament voting -  unanimously - to give legal recognition to  Icelandic Sign Language and make it  one of the countries official languages. The film includes emotional scenes as members of the Deaf community watched the voting in parliament.

In August this year the World Federation of the Deaf held its four-yearly congress in Durban, South Africa. Members also voted for a new President from one of three candidates - Colin Allen from Australia, Joseph Murray from the United States and Terry Riley from the United Kingdom.  The elections saw Colin Allen win by a huge margin and amid emotional scenes he promised both a new beginning for the organisation and to tackle head the problems facing both the Deaf community and the WFD.  Studio guests, John and Silvia also discussed the importance of the WFD and the likely impact of the newly elected President.

Finally, Elizabeth and Gavin reveal the new Deaf flag. The WFD congress agreed the idea of a flag for Deaf people and the proposed blue design is the idea of the Swedish Deaf community. Our studio guests were not impressed!

You can also catch up on all previous episodes of the Hub on the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust’s (BSLBT) website.

BSLBT commission a range of BSL presented programmes, including The Hub, which are shown on the BSL Zone, providing opportunities for Deaf people working on and behind the camera. Visit BSLBT's website for information on how to watch the programmes on television and online.