British Sign Language National Plan 2023 - 2029 Consultation

Closed 3 Sep 2023

Opened 7 Jul 2023

Contact

BSLConsult@gov.scot

Feedback updated 12 Dec 2023

We asked

We asked for your opinion on the Scottish Government's proposed British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan 2023-2029.  

You said

A total of 80 responses were received, 76 of which were submitted through Citizen Space and 4 were sent via email. A total of 43 community consultation events were held in addition to the consultation to allow BSL users to participate in a two-way dialogue in their own language and in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way to express their views. The community consultation events organised by stakeholders took place between 30 June 2023 and 3 September 2023.

The overarching themes raised by both individual and organisation respondents, as well as by BSL and non-BSL users were the following:

  • Focus on clear, tangible and measurable actions
  • Continuous collaboration with BSL users
  • Equal opportunity and inclusion
  • Promote BSL as a language and culture
  • Inclusion of the whole D/deaf community

A full analysis of the consultation is available on the Scottish Government website 

We did

The Scottish Government would like to thank everyone who took the time to provide a response to this consultation. We have taken account of the responses received and the consultation analysis report. 

The responses to this consultation have informed the final version of the British Sign Language National Plan 2023-2029

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

Ministerial Foreword - Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

 

British Sign Language (BSL) is a vibrant and important language, with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. It is a language that enables many Scottish Deaf and Deafblind citizens to learn, work, be creative and to make their contribution to our communities, our culture, and our economy. We are committed to making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn. But, we recognise that there is more to do to achieve this ambition, and will continue to build to further promote and support BSL in Scotland.

The BSL National Plan 2017-2023 has delivered a range of actions and produced a strong foundation for us to build on as we embark on the new national plan for BSL in Scotland. Key successes include:

  • A comprehensive review of BSL/English interpreting in Scotland, carried out in 2019 – Landscape Review – BSL Scotland Act 2015, which led to the current development of a central booking system for BSL/English interpreters, which is on track to launch in Spring 2024
     
  • building evidence on BSL demographics via Scotland’s Census 2022 enabling us to use this data to better inform policy decisions
     
  • prioritising BSL/English interpreting of the daily Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefings to ensure public health messages were inclusive
     
  • Queen Margaret University embedding basic BSL tuition in its Initial Teacher Education provision
     
  • the University of Edinburgh is developing a new Master of Arts in Primary Education and BSL, which will prepare teachers for BSL immersion settings, and for teaching BSL as a language following the 1+2 policy

To develop Scotland’s BSL National Plan 2023-2029, we have established a Short Life Working Group, consisting of organisations representing the deaf, deafblind and BSL communities. I would like to thank the following organisations for their contributions to this group - the British Deaf Association, Deaf Action, Deafblind Scotland, National Deaf Children’s Society, Scottish Ethnic Minority Deaf Charity, and the Scottish Sensory Hub (The ALLIANCE). The collective experience from this group will be invaluable as they develop actions for the plan.

To inform the working group’s thinking, this consultation asks individuals, organisations and communities to offer their views on what actions are required to advance BSL in Scotland. I am committed to developing a six year strategy that sets the right conditions which will lead to an improved quality of life for deaf and deafblind people who live in Scotland.

Read the consultation paper

View the BSL translations of the consultation

Events

Interests

  • Arts, Culture and Sport
  • Education
  • Equality, Welfare and Rights
  • Main hub
  • Work and Skills