British Sign Language Plan
The Participative Process of Developing Shetland's BSL Plan
As public bodies, Shetland Islands Council and NHS Shetland produced a British Sign Language (BSL) Plan, a requirement of the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015. The 2024 – 2030 plan is the second plan produced in Shetland; both were jointly produced by SIC & NHS Shetland. The purpose, is to set out how these organisations will promote and support British Sign Language.
The first observation made by the officers tasked with developing the plan was that there was very little data on BSL users in Shetland. Research to inform the plan included findings from two local research projects, alongside running focus groups and interviews with local BSL users and those who work with or may work with BSL users in Shetland.
The main aim was to identify what the challenges and opportunities were for the BSL community. The British Deaf Association (BDA) were essential in helping to identify and secure a BSL Interpretation service for conducting interviews with BSL users.
The process resulted in a draft action plan. This was put out for consultation, allowing for feedback to be given in anyway, from anyone. This process was well received and people with experience of BSL came forward to provide valuable feedback that may not have been gathered without this process.
The plan has now been approved with commitment to continued engagement with the BSL community. The process up to this stage has already raised awareness within the Shetland community and organisations involved in the plan of the challenges the BSL community face. The development of the plan has also been an invaluable reminder of the importance of communicating with your target audience when developing anything which impacts on them.
The process of creating Shetland’s British Sign Language Plan 2024-2030, contributes to Shetland Partnership’s Participation priority. It contributes to communities feeling empowered and being able to influence decisions that affect them; and actively seeking to involve communities in decision making and service delivery, including identifying and involving those who do not often have their voices heard.