The British Sign Language Bill passed in the United Kingdom. The British Deaf Association confirmed that the BSL Bill received Royal Assent, which means it has become an act of Parliament. This will impact 151,000 Deaf people’s health, social care, and education.

Member of Parliament, Jamie Wallis posted on social media that the BSL Act received cross-party support and will recognize BSL as an official language of England, Wales, and Scotland. This is a step forward toward a more inclusive and accessible society.

In Lima, Peru, a 66-year-old Deaf man named Carlos Suarez Llosa, was awarded recognition from the Labuor Order 2022 of the Public Company. He was recognized for serving 50 years in the Official Journal El Peruano and is the first Deaf person with the longest continuous work experience in a state company. 

In Catfish city, Colombia, a company called Oportunidades Disponibles (Opordis) has hired 8 Deaf people to provide landscaping services. They wanted to let people with “different abilities” come to work with them. This project offers landscaping, spraying, and mechanical cleaning services for green areas in different places. 

In war-torn Ukraine, 5-year-old Deaf girl Alisa and her mom Yelyzaveta are waiting for permission to travel to the United Kingdom. Alisa’s visa was approved but they’re still waiting for her mom’s. They plan on going to the United Kingdom.

The UK Government confirmed that 71,800 visas had been issued to Ukrainians. However just one-third, 21,600 Ukrainians have arrived. Some have been granted permission and some are still waiting. This intolerable confusion and delay is causing extra stress upon the refugees.

Inspired by the movie “CODA”, many authors are publishing books to show children what it is like being Deaf or CODA. In the book, “Proud to be Deaf”, a 7-year-old girl named Ava speaks directly to her classmates and invites them to get to know her community and learn sign language phrases. 

Sian Heder, director for “CODA,” explained that she wants people who have never met a Deaf person or seen sign language, to see Deaf people in a normal, everyday environment, and to break the stereotype that Deaf people approach life in a monolithic manner.

An Australian family is struggling to provide support for their 5 year old Deaf daughter, Tilly to learn Auslan. Her mother, Jane thought once Tilly’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding was approved, things would get easier but it didn’t. 

Teachers from the Deaf community have a minimum of two hours per lesson, which would eat up Tilly’s NDIS budget quickly. Two hours is too long for a 5 year old. Jane’s mother tried to use the Internet to teach Tilly, but is concerned that the signs could be wrong and that would affect Tilly’s ability to sign correctly. Brett Casey from Deaf Connect suggested they learn from a Deaf Auslan user.

Deaf people in Heifei City started a cleaning company after the founder, Hu Min, struggled to find a job. The company is named “Longwei,” which means “Deaf can also make a difference.” They struggle at the beginning due to discrimination from clients, but eventually proved themselves capable with the high-quality service they provide.

A national sample survey of people with disabilities stated about 27.8 million people in China are Deaf and hard of hearing. The country has set up a goal to create 1 million jobs for people with disabilities from 2022 to 2024 to promote disability and equality.