The Scottish Parliament has published its British Sign Language Plan, setting out the actions it will take over the next six years to improve access to parliamentary information and services for BSL users in the Deaf and Deafblind communities.
This follows a consultation on the proposed Plan, in which over 120 people took part in a series of in-person events across Scotland, as well as online. Contributions from these participants have helped to shape the 20 actions that will be taken between 2025 and 2031.
Some of these actions include continuing to provide BSL interpretation for First Minister’s Question Time, offering educational materials in BSL, and encouraging the use of BSL among Scottish Parliament staff.
“As an official language of Scotland with its own rich cultural heritage and history, BSL is central to the interests of Deaf and Deafblind people and the wider BSL community across the country,” said Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP.
“I am proud to present it, reaffirming our commitment to British Sign Language and its communities across our work.
Mark McMillan, BSL Communities Officer for the Scottish Parliament, said: “I am really pleased with how the new BSL Plan has been shaped by feedback from over 120 people, and importantly with many of them being Deaf BSL users sharing their lived experiences.
“I think this will really help to ensure that the Parliament continues to improve access to parliamentary information and services to BSL users in the Deaf and Deafblind communities, and the wider BSL community in the years to come.”
Since passing the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, all public institutions must commit to producing a BSL Plan, laying out how they will promote the use and understanding of British Sign Language.
These individual plans should aim for consistency between their own plan and the Scottish Government’s National Plan, which seeks to make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn.
The Plan is available as a series of BSL videos, or as a downloadable PDF
BONUS – watch a video about how the Scottish Parliament protects Scotland’s languages
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