We are delighted to announce that our Associate Director for Inclusion, Teri Devine, has been appointed to the BSL Advisory Board by the Secretary of Work and Pensions.
Teri grew up as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and has worked in roles in the Deaf community for over 20 years with her first language being British Sign Language. In her current role at RNID she leads our Inclusion programme work, advocating for services such as broadcasting and banking to be more accessible for people who are deaf and to ensure that they are represented in social research.
Teri Devine, Associate Director of Inclusion at RNID, said:
“I am delighted to be appointed to the BSL Advisory Board by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, this role especially means a lot to me as a child of deaf adults and with British Sign Language being my first language. I am excited to be part of the body which will be implementing the BSL Act and drive social change that benefits the Deaf community and furthers inclusion in society across Great Britain. We will use this position to communicate the thoughts and needs of the Deaf community and will actively work with them to shape the agenda and priorities of the Board.”
What is the BSL Advisory Board?
The BSL Advisory Board was set up following the passing of the BSL Act 2022, which recognised BSL as a language of England, Scotland, and Wales in law. The Advisory Board will represent the Deaf community within Government and help to advise them on the implementation of the Act.
Teri will serve on the board for up to three years with her fellow board members, including co-Chair of the Board, Craig Crowley who was appointed in November 2022.
Read more about the BSL Advisory Board.
What will RNID be involved with?
RNID is committed to supporting the Board through our expertise and will use our social research to provide the Board with the evidence it needs to show government where it can do more to remove the barriers faced by BSL users and the Deaf community.
We will continue to push for improvements in public policy and accessible services for the Deaf community. If you would like to support the BSL Advisory Board, please sign up to our Research Panel, where we share opportunities to get involved in surveys and focus groups on topics impacting BSL users in areas such as health, employment and accessible service provision.
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