Fw: [USA-L News] British Deaf Association in controversial poster drive

[Don & Theresa Grushkin]

The article below says the middle finger sign (I'm assuming they mean the
middle finger) means "idle" in BSL.  I have a hard time believing just
holding up the middle fnger means "idle".  I'm suspecting that there is some
movement involved.  Can any of you BSL users out there help clarify this for
me?

Thanks,
Don Grushkin

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 From the newsroom of the Media Guardian, United Kingdom, Thursday, October
12, 2000 .....

British Deaf Association in controversial poster drive

By Claire Cozens

Britain's deaf community is giving a one-fingered salute to the government
in a controversial poster campaign designed to get British sign language
officially recognised in Westminster.

The British Deaf Association will today launch a poster drive featuring the
rude hand gesture beside the line, "Westminster's attitude to recognising
British sign language." The copy underneath explains that in British sign
language the gesture means "idle".

Jeff McWhinney, chief executive of the BDA, said: "The BDA has had to
resort to shock tactics with this campaign to get politicians to sit up and
take notice. The BDA is extremely concerned about the resistance of
government to extending the same linguistic rights to deaf people as those
enjoyed by the hearing population."

The BDA is calling on the government to recognise British sign language
under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Countries
that sign up to the charter are required to improve the access of minority
language users to public services such as health, education and the justice
system. They are also expected to promote the learning and study of
minority languages.

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2000

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