Making a difference: the Edinburgh Napier BSL Local Plan 2024-2030 

 

Edinburgh Napier University has developed a new BSL Local Plan ‘Making a Difference’ which covers 2024-2030. The Plan outlines how we will be supporting the aims in Scotland’s National BSL Plan 2023-29 which looks to make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL Users to live, work, visit and learn. 

The BSL Local Plan 2024-30 has been developed with support from our BSL Delivery Group and through a range of engagement activities. It outlines our commitments toward making a difference for BSL Users and the Deaf community.  

You can find the BSL Local Plan 2024-2030 at this link. 

You’ll also find on these pages our 2018-24 BSL Local Plan, which we report progress on later in the year.  

Edinburgh Napier University BSL Local Plan 2024-30

Edinburgh Napier University BSL Local Plan 2018-24

Scotland’s first British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan as required by the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 was published in October 2017. This has required us to publish our own institutional plan, which was published in October 2018, following a consultation period.

Introduction
Background
Primary goals

Action Plan

1. Increasing access to services for BSL users
2. Training
3. Using our curriculum and research strengths to help deliver the National Plan
4. Monitoring and evaluation

Working group

To create our plan we set up a working group. This was convened by our Director of Information Services and supported by the Head of Student Wellbeing and Inclusion. Members of the group came from across the University and our Student Association, and included staff representing key University services as well as academic colleagues. We also had great help from Deaf Action who provided feedback and support. Their Participation Officer also joined our working group.
 
Edinburgh Napier BSL Local Plan 2018-24
This working group commenced its work in 2018 and, following a consultation period, produced the Edinburgh Napier University British Sign Language. The full plan was published in October 2018.

You can view the plan here.

Summary of Plan’s Primary Goals

Our Primary Goals are to:

  • adopt an informed, participative and institution-wide approach to implementing our plan;
  • build on and develop our existing approaches in support of BSL users – all prospective and current students and staff;
  • improve and diversify our methods of communicating with BSL users;
  • increase and improve access to information, advice and guidance for BSL users;
  • and contribute to national plan objectives where we identify synergies with our research and teaching.

The University’s Inclusion Committee will take an oversight role and ensure our plan is implemented. It will receive annual updates and provide feedback on our progress as we deliver the plan. Responsibility for the on-going delivery of the plan will be assumed by a BSL local plan delivery group.

At Edinburgh Napier we have extensive experience of supporting staff and students who disclose a disability and this includes those who apply to study here from the Deaf community. The production of this plan has assisted us to reflect further on what we need to do across the University to continue to develop our capacity to deliver inclusive approaches to learning and teaching and to meet the needs of BSL users.

Contact us:

To speak to a member of staff about the plan, please contact Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Edinburgh Napier University edi@napier.ac.uk  

Contact address: 

EDI  

Wellbeing & Inclusion 
Edinburgh Napier University 
Sighthill Campus 
9 Sighthill Court 
Edinburgh  
EH11 4BN   

BSL users can also contact us via contact SCOTLAND-BSL, the online British Sign Language interpreting service.

Find out more on the contactSCOTLAND website.