In 2016 and 2017, members of the National Advisory Group (NAG) worked together to develop Scotland’s first draft BSL National Plan. The NAG is made up of Deaf and Deafblind BSL users and parents with Deaf children, working alongside representatives of public bodies, which will implement the BSL (Scotland) Act (2015).

The NAG has been supported by the Deaf Sector Partnership (DSP), which the Scottish Government has funded to help gather the views of BSL users across Scotland to support the development of the plan, and make sure this consultation is fully accessible.

As a member of the Deaf Sector Partnership (DSP), BDA Scotland has worked closely with the Scottish Government to support the implementation of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act (2015), support the development of the NAG and support BSL users to be involved in the development of the first BSL National Plan. More information can be found here - http://deafsectorpartnership.net/

The draft plan covers the whole of the Scottish Government and over 50 national public bodies that Scottish Ministers have responsibility for. Other public bodies, including public authorities and regional NHS Boards, will publish their own BSL plans in 2018. The first National Plan will cover the next six years to 2023.

The draft BSL National Plan has ten long-term goals. The first draft plan sets out the steps the Scottish Government thinks they can realistically achieve in the next six years. They want BSL users to tell them what they think about the steps they will take in the first BSL National Plan. Are they the right steps? Are the steps achievable? Will the steps set them off in the right direction to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves? They will use our feedback during the consultation to revise the plan, and they will publish the final plan in October 2017.

Funding from the Scottish Government Equalities Unit in 2016/17 has enhanced our capacity to empower and support the Deaf community across Scotland to confidently influence and access services, by providing them with a range of opportunities to input into and support the work of the National Advisory Group (NAG) and the draft BSL National Plan.

For three months from 1^st March to 31^st May 2017, BDA Scotland, in collaboration with local Deaf clubs and groups, organised a total of 36 open meetings and 9 one-to-one sessions with BSL users across Scotland. This offered opportunities for BSL users to tell BDA Scotland what they thought about the goals and steps in the first BSL National Plan.

Without the support of local Deaf clubs and groups BDA Scotland would not have been able to reach out to a total of 558 BSL users at 36 meetings. BDA Scotland also offered an opportunity to have one-to-one meetings with 9 individuals who were unable to attend these open meetings. These responses represent a significant contribution by adult members of the Deaf community who use British Sign Language (BSL) and reflect the impact these matters have on their daily lives.

The consultation exercise offered BDA Scotland new opportunities to reach BSL groups at a local level who had not previously engaged in consultations with the BDA’s outreach workers. Various methods including face-to-face engagement and social media were extended to reach and target under-represented groups. One of BDA’s outreach workers facilitated three live streamed events on his Facebook page on Sunday nights in May 2017 to enable BSL users to access information and give feedback online. This helped BDA Scotland to reach out to BSL users not currently engaged at open meetings. There were 6,981 views altogether on our outreach worker’s Facebook page, with many people putting forward ideas and solutions.

In addition to this, BDA Scotland recruited a new outreach worker covering the North of Scotland in January 2017. As our outreach worker is based in the Shetland Islands, we were able to engage with 40 BSL users from Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Highland, Moray, the Orkney Islands, and the Shetland Islands.

Throughout the report, we refer to ‘BSL users’. This covers all Deaf people whose first or preferred language is BSL.

This is a summary of the responses from local BSL users and communities in Scotland to the Scottish Government on the consultation on the Draft British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan 2017-2023.

• 558 BSL users across Scotland (adult members of the Deaf community who use BSL)
• 36 open meetings and 9 one-to-one sessions
• Covered 21 local authorities in Scotland (out of 32)
• Top 3 local authorities: 30% from Glasgow City, 11% from North Lanarkshire and 8% from the City of Edinburgh
• 6,981 views on lived streamed events on a Facebook page
• Top 3 goals: 78% Health, Mental Health and Social Care, 64% Public Services and 53% Transport

The draft BSL National Plan has ten long-term goals. Here is a summary of BSL users’ feedback on the ten goals, which are expanded on in the full summary:

Public Services (64%)

• BSL users to be employed by public services so the approach to delivering public services is person-centred and BSL users can expect greater consistency.
• Introduce Q and A one-stop shops. There should be one booth for BSL users to seek face-to-face assistance with enquiries in each local authority. For example, a BSL Translation Hub where BSL users can take English based communications or letters, which they want translating

Early Years (40%)

• Opportunities for parents to learn BSL with their children are limited and inconsistent in Scotland. Free sign language courses/instruction should be available to families, such as they have in Scandinavia.
• It is crucial for Deaf babies to have access to a visual language from the start, and that this support continues as they grow up. Many bilingual children do better academically due to improved language development in the early years.

Education (49%)

• Education is an area of great concern, with increasing numbers of Deaf children being placed in mainstream schools. BSL users do not support the isolation of Deaf BSL users within their local schools.
• Resource bases in Scotland should share good practice, skills, knowledge and resources in BSL. This will help all Deaf children to receive the same quality of education across Scotland.

Post-School Education (22%)

• Support for making transitions needs to be stronger; for example, Careers Advisors and Disability Advisors need BSL awareness training to be able to support BSL users, especially with CVs and application forms.

Employment (49%)

• BSL users would like fairer and more realistic assessments for Access to Work (ATW) funding. This will ensure that BSL users stay in their jobs.
• BSL users are frustrated in accessing employment opportunities, and they are struggling to find and sustain work. Having no job prospects for long periods can be demoralising.

Health, Mental Health and Social Care (78%)

• BSL users often do not use health services because they cannot arrange appointments easily. Booking systems at GP practices need to be reviewed because BSL users are not allowed to walk into their doctor’s surgery to book an appointment.
• There was concern about mental health services, as some felt they were getting worse.
• Many BSL users would like to see the return of care or nursing homes for elderly BSL users.

Transport (53%)

• Research on possible technological solutions for providing accessible information in transport hubs is needed because BSL users are frustrated by issues such as getting on the wrong train or having to change trains without notification.
• The majority of BSL users at consultation events expressed frustration with bus drivers, as they sometimes insist on knowing the Deaf person’s exact destination, forcing the Deaf person into a difficult communication situation.

Culture, Leisure, Sports and the Arts (27%)

• BSL users would like a variety of choice with regard to access to all places of interest in Scotland: with Deaf/BSL guides, guided tours with BSL/English interpreters, hand-held devices (mobile/tablet/iPad) with BSL videos and/or subtitles, or fixed displays/TV screens on walls.
• There should be access to funding for Scottish athletes who use BSL to represent their country at local, national or international events. We want to see Scottish Deaf athletes with talent and commitment being provided with financial support to represent Scotland and Great Britain.

 Justice (49%)

• Concern was expressed about police officers struggling to find BSL/English interpreters for police interviews and follow-up interviews. BSL users have the right to be provided with interpreting and translation support at all stages of the legal process – including choices and preferences with regard to sourcing BSL/English interpreters.
• The issue of accessing funding for legal aid and funding for BSL/English interpreters for solicitors’ services needs to be resolved. One solution would be a central fund.

Democracy (20%)

• BSL users should have full access to information about political parties. Some BSL users do not vote because information from political parties is inaccessible.
• Every political party should ensure that information is released in BSL and English at the same time. Producing a BSL version should not be an afterthought.

As this summary report shows, there is still a great deal of work to be done. BSL users miss out on information taken for granted by hearing people. Often allied with a poor education or a low level of literacy in English (which is a second or third language for many BSL users), the result is a significantly lower knowledge base about, for example, public services and health information. A lot of time was spent at consultation meetings explaining what ‘Public Services’ meant.

All those involved in delivering services need to view BSL users as both a key customer group and an excellent source of information when improving their services, not just in the way these are provided for BSL users themselves, but for everyone, especially with regard to researching technological solutions for providing accessible information. For example, BSL users have suggested potential solutions to the ongoing problems with bus drivers. They came up with two solutions: a list of destinations behind drivers’ windows so they can point to where they are going, or having a separate National Entitlement card for BSL users, which would allow them to discreetly convey their status to bus drivers.

Due to recent advances in technology, BSL users expect information to be accessible in BSL; this is particularly true amongst young Deaf people. There are different expectations with regard to real-time communication, signed mediums and online platforms. They prefer to access information with immediate effect, and expect this to be fast and reliable. For example, ensuring that information is released in BSL and English at the same time. Producing a BSL version should not be an afterthought. Some BSL users do not vote because information from political parties is inaccessible and manifestos are not available in BSL. BSL users also suggested an app where they can book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, pick up medication and get reminders – rather than having to rely on family or friends to make calls or using the NGT app or video relay and interpreting services where there is a third party involved.

One of the steps under health, mental health and social care indicates that patient health records should indicate when a patient is Deaf. BSL users at the consultation meetings felt this should be introduced within public services and justice departments too. Such records would indicate that they are BSL users and need a BSL/English interpreter.

There is strong consensus that BSL users should be employed by bodies covered in the BSL National Plan so the approach to delivering services or accessible information provision is person-centred and BSL users can expect greater consistency. Deaf employees can act as bridge builders to bring together the BSL community with various organisations.

BSL users also hope that the BSL National Plan will help create employment opportunities, as they are frustrated and struggling to find and sustain work. Examples include opportunities for BSL translators to produce accessible videos in museums and galleries, funding for Deaf BSL workers to visit and support Deaf children and their families to develop a bicultural environment at home. There is concern about the Access to Work (ATW) scheme, as this is still a key barrier to the recruitment of BSL users to the Scottish workforce. BSL users feel that there should be a campaign to encourage organisations and businesses to employ BSL uses with ATW support.

In addition to employment opportunities, BSL users felt priority should be for teachers to have BSL qualifications, more Deaf teachers to register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), and to develop the SQA Awards for BSL.

There appears to be a willingness among BSL users to be involved in the consultation exercise, although there was a sense of consultation ‘fatigue’. It will be necessary to conduct a different kind of explanation and dialogue so as to ensure continued positive engagement and contributions from BSL users. The groups in the Scottish Borders were pleased to have had the opportunity to discuss all ten goals over two meetings. They felt they were part of the system, helping Scottish Ministers to make decisions on the future of BSL. There was, however, concern about having to wait six years for a review, improvements or actions because the BSL National Plan will be “locked” for the next six years from October 2017.

BSL users suggested an example of positive engagement. They suggested that police officers could engage more with BSL users and the BSL using community by organising community engagement meetings with local Deaf clubs and groups. These would be an opportunity for local BSL users to share their views about local issues, which are important to them, and also to directly influence the priorities of their local officers.

To keep the momentum going after the BSL National Plan is finalised, BDA Scotland feel that it is important to ensure that BSL users are engaged more in the design, development and improvements of services. They need to be more involved in decisions on services in forums or focus groups, both as individuals and through representative organisations.

BDA Scotland is looking forward to contributing to the Local Authority plans when these are introduced and to acting as consultants on behalf of, and in collaboration with, a significant user group for whom the BSL (Scotland) Act was devised.