Welsh Arts and Humanities research contributes to historic BSL Bill
On 11th March 2026, Deaf communities in Wales celebrated the passing of a historic British Sign Language Bill in the Senedd. Among those celebrating was a group of researchers that had received seed funding from the Learned Society of Wales to expand and consolidate their network in 2023. Members of that group provided vital evidence, expertise, and lived experience to support the writing of the bill, hand in hand with the Deaf community.
Together with Deaf Health Wales, the Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance, and the School of Advanced Study, the Learned Society of Wales brought together researchers, Deaf activists, Deaf artists, and public sector delivery leads at a Policy Forum at Bangor University. The event celebrated the passing of the new British Sign Language Act in Wales, unearthing how research from Arts and Humanities disciplines contributed to this historic progress. Mark Isherwood MS acknowledged how important it was that this conversation had “come home” to Bangor, where a conference almost a decade ago marked a turning point in the journey towards the Act.
The Policy Forum marked the start of a vital conversation with key public bodies to help them understand their new obligations following the passing of the Act, and underscored how Arts and Humanities experts – across linguistics, law, wellbeing, storytelling, heritage, and culture – can support these next steps. Dr Rob Wilks noted that one of the many roles for Arts and Humanities research is “making access meaningful”.
The session also outlined some case studies of Arts and Humanities research building solutions together with the Deaf community. The AHRC-funded Deaf Health Wales is a Deaf-led project co-producing practical and evidence-based solutions to a range of issues for Deaf communities in Wales: access to natural resources, patient experience, language and communication, law and human rights, mental health, and public health. One strand of this major project is unearthing, preserving and archiving current and historical Welsh BSL dialects. The project is methodologically groundbreaking, rethinking how research is carried out and disseminated.
Deaf artists shared their lived experiences as part of the session, outlining how art had given them a voice and a lifeline. Research consistently shows that arts engagement significantly enhances mental health and wellbeing: for the Deaf community it is vitally important to have a vibrant Deaf arts culture, as well as access to the wider arts world. The response to recent Deaf-led festivals like Deaf Gathering has been enormous in Wales, invigorating the community, and offering a much-needed safe and comfortable space. The Policy Forum was part of a two-day Mini Deaf Gathering itself, including a Deaf BSL Film Festival, and family activities.
The Learned Society of Wales was honoured to support this important event celebrating a landmark moment for Wales. We were excited to continue the conversation at our Languages Symposium with the Celtic Academies Alliance, in Wrexham on 29 April, featuring a panel on Language and Disability.