The Green Party published its manifesto, Real Hope, Real Change on Wednesday – except the party did not livestream its launch event and has not made any accessible versions available at the time of writing.
The political party, co-led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, also took a similar approach with its official launch of its general election campaign, with only news outlets and broadcasters livestreaming the event on their respective channels.
It is not clear whether an in-person British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter was provided for either the 30 May event or Wednesday’s manifesto launch.
Meanwhile, on the webpage for the Greens’ policy document, a hyperlink directs visitors to downloadable versions of the manifesto (at present, only an easy read version is available), however the button users are encouraged to click on or tap does not appear to be hyperlinked.
While the manifesto does not contain any specific policies or pledges concerning deaf people, under a section titled “defending human rights, democracy and justice”, the Green Party says it would “scrap the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act” of 2022.
In addition to introducing controversial measures restricting the right to protest, the legislation also amended the Juries Act 1974 to allow for British Sign Language interpreters to interpret proceedings for Deaf jurors, including interpreting jury deliberations.
However, in a statement to Liam O’Dell, the Green Party confirmed it would not look to abolish Section 196 if it entered government.
“The focus is on repealing legislation that erodes the right to protest and freedom of expression. Greens will retain any positive measures, such as section 196,” a spokesperson said.
Images: The Times and Sunday Times/YouTube.
Liam O'Dell 