“CORONAVIRUS: mask-wearing 'risks isolating' deaf people”, “Social withdrawal is becoming a reality': How deaf people are being affected by Covid-19”, “Call for daily briefing to include a British Sign Language interpreter”.

These are just some of the newspaper articles that I have seen relating to the UK Deaf community in this time of crisis.

Each article makes valid points which may not have occurred to us before. So as a friend and, I hope, an ally of Worcestershire Deaf Community, I put them to you.

For professionals and the general public to be wearing masks makes lip-reading an impossibility for Deaf BSL-users and hard-of-hearing people.

And when you add to this the fact that BSL has facial expression as one of its core linguistic features, it means that communication becomes even more difficult.

Social withdrawal and isolation is increased especially if you are asked to phone your doctor and they do not have video interpreting.

READ MORE: My hopes for the new normal

What are you meant to do in these times of self-isolation when using the phone is impossibility?

And, unlike Scotland, there is no BSL interpreter at the Government’s daily press briefing. It is true that an interpreter is provided on BBC News 24, but when the entire nation sat expectantly by their TVs and Boris told us all that we could return to work, there was no BSL interpreter.

This left the Deaf Community in the dark or scrabbling with subtitles. These are thoughtless at best but I know many of my Deaf friends will see it as just another way of oppressing and side-lining Deaf. And who can blame them?

Through years of banning BSL in the classroom (even in Deaf residential schools), to the current mainstreaming schools policy in which Deaf underachieve, they have been marginalised and subjugated.

It is my belief that Deaf are a distinct linguistic and cultural identity; but even if you want to disagree with me on that, then at least a UK language group as large a BSL users, who pay their taxes and contribute to civil society, deserves common decency and respect.

Come on Prime Minister; get an interpreter.