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Sign language users in Scotland 'to gain new rights' Plans to integrate sign language into everyday life
(about 9 hours later)
The Scottish government is expected to announce plans to integrate the use of British Sign Language (BSL) into every element of daily and public life. The Scottish government has announced plans to integrate the use of British Sign Language (BSL) into everyday life.
It will reveal its national plan for people with hearing loss later. Measures include removing barriers to deaf people becoming teachers and enabling more pupils to learn BSL in school.
Measures expected to be in the plan include moves to remove barriers which prevent deaf people becoming teachers. It will also address "equal access" to employment opportunities including apprenticeships and internships.
It is also likely to address "fair and equal access" to employment opportunities, including apprenticeships and internships. The government will give £1.3m to a partnership of hearing loss charities over the next three years.
Follow the ministerial statement on Holyrood Live. What's in the plan?
Minister Mark McDonald is to visit the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, which offers the UK's only degree course for deaf performers. The national plan for people with hearing loss is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.
He will then outline the details of the national plan to the Scottish Parliament. It has 70 actions ministers will take by 2020 to help deaf people in Scotland, including:
Transport services Delia Henry, director of Action on Hearing Loss Scotland, said the plan was a "starting point" in removing barriers for the 13,000 people who use BSL in Scotland.
It is thought to be the first initiative of its kind in the UK. She said people with hearing loss "often tell us about their communication needs not being met as BSL interpreters have not been provided when they've been looking for support at job centres or during health appointments".
Other ideas in the draft plan published earlier this year included better provision for BSL users on public transport. Dr Terry Riley, chairman of the British Deaf Association, said the plan set "a brilliant example for the rest of the United Kingdom to follow".
The draft highlighted the need to allow better communication with transport operators when things go wrong during a journey. He added: "Scotland's approach to promoting and supporting BSL has been highlighted as exemplary by the United Nations, and the Scottish government is to be congratulated."
At the time of the draft plan's publication, Mr McDonald said: "BSL is a language in its own right, with its own grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Can deaf people be teachers?
"It has its own dialects and rich variation. The plan includes specific mention of making it easier for BSL users to become teachers.
"Most importantly, it is a language which enables many of our Deaf and Deafblind citizens to learn, work, parent, be creative, live life to the full, and to make their contribution to our communities, our culture and our economy." There are no laws preventing deaf people becoming teachers, however, only a few currently work in Scotland.
Derek Todd is from the Scottish Council on Deafness and supported the work of the ministerial advisory group which prepared the National Plan. Generally they use a BSL interpreter in the classroom to help them communicate with pupils.
Janis McDonald, chief officer at the Scottish Council on Deafness, said the problem was about access to good-quality education and qualifications.
She said deaf teachers were generally people who became deaf later in life rather than those who were born deaf and had BSL as their first language.
"Someone who only speaks BSL wouldn't be able to pass a teaching exam because it would be delivered in English," she said. "This means they can't get a teaching qualification.
"It's difficult to access further education when the reasonable adjustments are seen as costly or unreasonable.
"People should be able to be qualified in their own language."
'They have dreams'
Derek Todd is from the Scottish Council on Deafness and supported the work of the ministerial advisory group which prepared the National Plan.
He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that overcoming the language barrier would lead to more inclusion for deaf people, especially in education.He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that overcoming the language barrier would lead to more inclusion for deaf people, especially in education.
He said: "We try to encourage more people to learn BSL in schools and more hearing children to learn BSL to engage and socialise with deaf children.He said: "We try to encourage more people to learn BSL in schools and more hearing children to learn BSL to engage and socialise with deaf children.
"Deaf children can do anything, they have dreams. Education is one of the critical barriers for deaf children."Deaf children can do anything, they have dreams. Education is one of the critical barriers for deaf children.
"Many deaf children leave school with no education or very little qualifications. We want to improve that with this National Plan.""Many deaf children leave school with no education or very little qualifications. We want to improve that with this National Plan."
Early Years Minister Mark McDonald outlined the details of the plan to the Scottish Parliament.
He said: "Our long-term aim is ambitious - we want to bring about change that has a real, practical impact on the day-to-day lives of BSL users and which puts Scotland right up there as the best place in the world for BSL users to live and visit.
"This plan, which has been developed in partnership with the BSL National Advisory Group, reflects the priorities of deaf and deafblind BSL users in Scotland and I am confident that it will help us to make substantial progress towards achieving that ambition."