Introduction
Foreword from the Cabinet Secretary of Education and Skills
Minister's Foreword
It is a source of great pride that Scotland holds a significant place in the rich culture and history of British Sign Language (BSL). Moray House at the University of Edinburgh was one of three institutions in the UK that confirmed BSL is a language, and the name ‘British Sign Language’ was first published from Moray House in 1975. An important cornerstone in the progress that has led up to this point.
Executive Summary
To deliver our ambition to make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn, we have developed a number of actions under the
following ten priority areas:
Key Priorities & Actions
1. Delivering the BSL National Plan 2023-2029
We will embed the ambition of this plan within other government areas in order to make progress across the system. Our Implementation Advisory Group will provide oversight to this work, championing the voices of those with lived experience.
Establish a BSL National Plan Implementation Advisory Group with representatives from the BSL community to help us deliver the actions within this plan and make the cross-cutting connections required to progress BSL equality in Scotland.
This plan will not be static, the ambitions set out within it requires flexibility and leadership to respond to opportunities and challenges. Collaborative working will help us achieve this aim.
Work with listed authorities and the BSL community to establish best practice, share knowledge and improve the development and implementation of BSL local plans, as required by the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015.
Develop the inclusive communication regulation as part of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) review, to ensure inclusive communication is embedded
proportionately by listed authorities when communicating with the public. We will engage closely with public bodies, equality advocacy groups and people with lived experience, including our partner organisations, to further develop this proposal based on consultation feedback. It is our intention that any new duties would come into force in 2025.
Develop guidance on BSL access for public engagement, including quality assurance of BSL translations. This guidance will be primarily developed for the Scottish Government, we will share learning on what works well with our partners.
Publish a progress report on the actions in 2026, the midway point for this plan. As a living plan, this will enable us to reflect on what further actions are required
to help us meet our longer-term goals and overall vision for BSL in Scotland.
2. BSL Accessibility
We recognise that BSL communities are underrepresented across organisations and services in Scotland. We want to promote and develop sustainable approaches to ensure that BSL users have access to opportunities and services impacting on their daily lives, ensuring they have information in the right format and at the right time.
Improve accessibility of the Scottish Government website for BSL users. Information should be in a readily accessible format and be consistent across the
platform. We will strengthen our guidance and share our learning across the wider public sector to help increase accessibility standards for BSL users.
Ensure that deaf and deafblind BSL users are included in the See Hear strategy as part of the wider group of deaf people, with a focus on living a good life, and the BSL National Plan continues to address equal access to BSL in all spheres of service delivery.
Continue to promote the use of Contact Scotland BSL, Scotland’s BSL online interpreting Video Relay Service, making improvements to this service to ensure it meets the needs of BSL users.
Implement SignPort and promote its use as an online portal for BSL/English interpreter bookings which will be launched for public use, within the Scottish Government and other public bodies. SignPort is expected to be launched for public use in Spring 2024.
3. Children, Young People and their Families
We will embed our commitment to Getting It Right for Every Child to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time.
Facilitate the building of partnerships and effective working relationships between NHS teams and BSL providers. This will help to ensure that deaf and deafblind children and their families can access the right support from the earliest stages of childhood and in doing so we can strive to get it right for every child.
Engage with stakeholders across Scotland to identify and mobilise a network of BSL providers.
Work with representative groups across Midwifery, Health Visiting, Family Nurse Partnership, Allied Health Professionals and Audiology to help them understand
the importance of BSL provision on child and family wellbeing.
Support NHS teams and BSL providers to develop robust referral pathways which will result in deaf and deafblind children accessing both the healthcare and language learning support they require.
Consider the needs of those who are deaf and deafblind in our response to the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland which was published in August 2023.
Continue to support education authorities who have duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including those who are
deaf under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. This includes the presumption of mainstream which enables children to learn in an environment that best suits their needs.
Families are supported through the Scottish advice service for additional support or learning, Enquire, that receives funding from the Scottish Government.
Support opportunities for early years workers to learn BSL up to the level of Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 6 to inform our future work in this area. SCQF Level 6 BSL is offered by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and is equivalent to Signature’s BSL Level 3.
Support opportunities for teachers of the deaf and teachers working with deaf and deafblind children and young people in obtaining qualifications up to SCQF Level 10. SCQF Level 10 is equivalent to Signature Level 6 in BSL, which is the highest possible qualification available as of October 2023. SQA’s highest qualification in BSL is Level 4, which is equivalent to SCQF Level 8 and Signature Level 4 in BSL.
To work with the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) to explore and facilitate pathways for BSL users to obtain Qualified Teacher Status.
Develop education as a priority theme within this plan’s Implementation Advisory Group, to explore access to BSL and teaching of BSL.
Support the development of opportunities for deaf and deafblind children, young people, and their families, to learn about the heritage and culture of BSL, especially in Scotland.
Introduce Scotland’s first National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy in this Parliamentary term to ensure there is a joined-up approach so all disabled young
people can experience a supported and positive transition to adult life. The Scottish Government BSL Policy team will ensure that BSL users’ lived experience is fed into the development of the strategy.
4. Access to Employment
We will embed the principles of No One Left Behind, our all-age approach to employability to enable BSL users to consider what route to employment is right for them to enter into the workforce and fulfil their potential.
Develop opportunities for deaf and deafblind young people to learn about transitioning into and navigating the workplace, helping them understand the support available to them and develop their skills. This will include how to work with BSL/English interpreters.
Through No One Left Behind, deliver place-based employability services which support individuals to overcome structural barriers to entering and sustaining
employment. We will work with the Implementation Advisory Group for this plan to identify solutions to specific barriers for BSL users accessing devolved
employability support.
5. Health and Wellbeing
We know person-centred healthcare involves providing access to and delivery of services that are equitable. It is important to ensure that BSL users have the relevant information and services they need to make informed choices on their health.
Develop health as a priority theme within this plan’s Implementation Advisory Group, to explore barriers around access and develop solutions to address them.
Ensure that co-design on the development and implementation of the National Care Service involves BSL users.
Work with our partners to implement and measure our core mental health standards. This will include a focus on ensuring information and services are accessible to all individuals, including those who use BSL.
In line with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan, we will improve equality, inclusion and diversity training for the mental health and wellbeing workforce, including to promote existing BSL training to the workforce.
Promote and support the learning of BSL as a second language for hard of hearing, deafened people and people at risk of a second sensory loss. People at risk of a secondary sensory loss should be better equipped with tools for them to communicate. Learning BSL as a second language provides an opportunity for this.
Capture the learning from projects such as Deafblind Scotland’s BSL Café Project, funded by the Scottish Government, that supports people who are at risk
of a second sensory loss to acquire further communication skills by teaching them BSL.
Build on the work set out within the social isolation and loneliness strategy, Recovering our Connections 2023-26, to embed actions related to BSL users and link with existing work at a local and national level to address issues of social isolation and loneliness, including access to services and projects.
6. Celebrating BSL Culture
We work with partners to ensure BSL users have access to and can participate in the cultural life of Scotland, enabling them to celebrate their own culture and heritage
Work with Creative Scotland to help embed BSL further within culture and the arts in Scotland.
Enable BSL users to take part in culture and the arts as participants, audience members and professionals.
Support BSL organisation to celebrate BSL culture and heritage to strengthen the community, share their rich and vibrant culture, and feel more widely valued
within society. We will explore opportunities for children and young people helping to foster greater visibility of deaf role models, the development of a secure sense of identity, and reduced loneliness and social isolation.
Identify ways in which the Scottish Government can further support growth for BSL in the heritage, culture and the arts sector, as well as promoting existing
workstreams, in line with the aims and ambitions of A Culture Strategy for Scotland.
7. BSL Data
We recognise the need to build an evidence base and gather data on BSL in Scotland, which will help inform our work in delivering this BSL National Plan and inform local plans.
Work with our BSL partners to map out existing sources of evidence available within their organisations and networks, understand the barriers to evidence gathering and agree on the specific and priority gaps in the current evidence base
Gather data and intelligence from projects funded by Scottish Government’s Equality and Human Rights Fund and learn what principles can be applied to BSL users that advance equality in this area.
Develop and implement a strategic plan for BSL data, building on existing information and research, to set out how we will better understand the BSL community in Scotland relating to demographics and language use, as well as explore issues such as accessibility and access to services.
8. Transport
We will work with our partners to embed BSL further within our transport system to ensure safe, fair and inclusive access to public transport is available to BSL users.
Work with Transport Scotland, using the principles of the Accessible Travel Framework, to improve transport services for BSL users.
Work with Scotland’s transport delivery bodies – rail, ferry, air and bus operators to collaborate and identify practical solutions to make public travel more accessible for BSL users.
9. Access to Justice
We will take steps to ensure BSL users will have fair and equal access to the civil, criminal and juvenile justice systems in Scotland.
Continue discussions with the BSL Justice Advisory Group, with the aim to regularly review the progress on actions within Justice around BSL and to mainstream BSL into other Justice workstreams.
Develop the provision of BSL intermediaries, also known as intralingual professionals or advocates, for BSL users going through the justice system to inform work to be taken forward to support this provision.
Support public bodies within the justice sector in exploring ways in which BSL support can be accessed more efficiently for frontline work and emergency response services.
10. Democratic Participation
We will deliver actions that will help BSL users participate in democratic and public life in Scotland, recognising that accessibility and information are key drivers in helping to achieve this aim.
Develop participation as a key theme within this plan’s Implementation Advisory Group to deliver a set of resources that provide ongoing support for BSL users participation in democratic life.
Work with COSLA and the Scottish Parliament to identify existing barriers in support for BSL users within political settings, such as councillor or MSP, and consider ways in which gaps can be addressed, including learning from the 2022 Access to Elected Office Fund.
Facilitate BSL support in electoral campaigns and the election process to ensure BSL users can make informed decisions with access to all relevant information.
Resources & Downloads
