What progress has been made in promoting British Sign Language (BSL), following the recognition of BSL as a language in its own right by He…

Promotion of British SignLanguage (BSL) is being progressed in a number of different ways.
The First Minister made the following commitment on 27 March 2003 (S1F-2624):
“The First Minister (Mr Jack McConnell): As a start, I believe that we should double the number of British Sign Language interpreters in Scotland and I have asked officials to prepare plans for how we might achieve that, which will be presented to whatever set of ministers occupies the Executive offices after the election.” (Official Report, col. 20117).
Scottish Executive officials are in active dialogue with deaf organisations and the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters to produce these plans.
The Equality Unit has sponsored a research project to investigate the experience of BSL users in accessing public services. This is being taken forward by the University of Bristol and the Deaf Studies Trust. In addition the Equality Unit is also sponsoring research on Translation, Interpreting and Communications Services, including British Sign Language. This is being taken forward by Heriot-Watt University. The value of these contracts is around £80,000 in total.
In the three-year period 2003-04, 2004–05 and 2005-06, the Scottish Executive is providing funding to the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI) under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, of £21,129, £19,730, and £19,016 respectively and, under section 10(1) of the act, £23,712, in each of these years. In addition, £13,230 is committed to SASLI under section 16B funding for financial year 2003-04.
SASLI promotes and develops sign language interpreting services in Scotland by maintaining a register of interpreters. The organisation encourages and assists the training of people who wish to develop interpreting skills, thereby improving communication between deaf and hearing people as equal and participating members of the community.
The Scottish Executive is also funding several projects under the SEN Innovation Grants Programme supporting work relating to BSL. Further details are as follows.
1. Scottish Sensory Centre (SSC)
The Scottish Executive core funds the Scottish Sensory Centre to act as a national source of information, advice and training for parents, teachers and other professionals working with children with sensory impairment. This includes a range of work relating to BSL.
The SSC runs courses, particularly advanced courses, on the structure and use of BSL for a range of professionals and parents. SSC also develops sign bilingual multi-media materials which can support both deaf pupils and those learning BSL. SSC has also been active in developing policy and recommendations linked toBSL and in working with BSL-related developments, such as the development of a deaf studies curriculum.
Funding
- £167,000 in 2003-04 to the Scottish Sensory Centre.
Funding will continue over 2004-06.
2. BSL Dictionary Project consortium led by the charity Stories in the Air. The project has produced a CD-Rom/booklet pack, which teaches very young children, and their parents, sign language through virtual reality, a medium to which children can quickly relate. A website version is also available.
Funding
- £93,212 for period 2003-04.
In addition, as autonomous bodies, colleges are free to use the resources allocated to them by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council to run whichever courses they deem necessary, while taking account of the needs of the students and local communities they serve. A number of colleges across Scotlandoffer courses in British Sign Language.