The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee will be considering the impact of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015.
The Act led to the development of a British Sign Language (BSL) national plan and listed authority plans. The listed authorities that must produce and implement their own plans for promoting and facilitating the use and understanding of BSL include local councils, NHS boards, colleges and universities, and the Scottish Parliament.
The Committee wants to understand if these changes have improved the lives of BSL users.
The Committee would like to find out your views on:
- Whether the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, the current BSL National Plan and listed authority plans are improving the lives of BSL users
- What changes could be made in the shorter and longer term to improve the lives of BSL users
They’re interested in gathering views from:
- BSL users
- Those who advocate for BSL users
- Listed authorities subject to the duty to produce and implement a BSL plan
- Organisations not subject to the duty, but who have views on promoting the use and understanding of BSL in Scotland
You can answer any questions that are relevant to you. You do not need to answer all of them.
You can respond to each question using written text, or you can send us a BSL video with your responses.
When you answer the questions, please do not tell them anything that could identify anyone else, for example, the name of a school or a teacher. If this is not followed, the Committee may have to ask you to review your responses before they can be accepted.
Click here to complete the submission form.
This call for views closes at 11.59pm on Friday 02 May 2025.
