The Irish Deaf Society has campaigned for more than thirty years for legislation to recognise its language, a language used by 5,000 deaf people across the country. The Irish Deaf Society's dedication to the realisation of this ground breaking piece of legislation cannot be overemphasised. Research on best international practice by the Irish Deaf Society was incorporated into early drafts of the Bill in 2011.
Following the successful passage of the Bill through Committee Stage, PILA was contacted by the Irish Deaf Society for legal assistance. At this critical juncture in the legislative process the Irish Deaf Society were legally advised by John Kenny BL, a member of the PILA Pro Bono Referral Scheme. Commenting on the process, Dr John Bosco Conama of the Irish Deaf Society stated, “His expertise and advice were of immerse value to us and we felt the positive impact from his knowledge. His insight of how the Bill was processed and the proceedings behind the scenes were useful. We are grateful for his support, insight and knowledge”. Regarding the accessibility of legal advice in their campaign work on this issue John Conama noted in the absence of the PILA Pro Bono Referral Scheme, the organisation simply would not have had access to such support. In hindsight the only thing the organisation would have done differently was to contact PILA at an earlier stage!
When asked about the referral and why John Kenny BL gave of his time, John had the following to say, “Barristers can make a significant contribution by providing support to civil society groups via the Scheme and at the same time develop their own skills and abilities. It was incredibly interesting to be involved with the Bill and to be in a position to provide assistance to the Irish Deaf Society through the legislative process. Being present with the deaf community in the Dáil as it passed the House was a privilege and an honour and certainly one of my highlights of 2017.”
President Michael D. Higgins signed the Irish Sign Languages Act 2017 into law on 24 December and in doing so paid tribute to the campaign led by the Irish Deaf Society to make the dream of an ISL law a reality. Some of the main key aspects of the Act include:
Since 2009, PILA has operated a Pro Bono Referral Scheme that connects social justice organisations with free legal expertise. The breadth and depth of referrals can vary greatly, but increasingly PILA has received similar requests from organisations seeking to bring forward private member Bills and influence the legislative landscape in Ireland.
If you are working in a social justice organisation and are interested in learning more about how your organisation can access legal support via PILA please contact Legal Officer Eithne Lynch at eithne.lynch@flac.ie.