Country Report Scotland
SASLIGeneral
Population5 million
Size
78,772km squared
Capital City
Edinburgh
Deaf people
National Association of the Deaf
British Deaf Association (BDA)
How many Deaf people?
No
precise information either on the numbers of deaf people or on the
number of BSL users. There are working estimates. It is estimated that
there are 5,000 deaf people in Scotland. According to the BDA, British
Sign Language (BSL) is the first or preferred language of nearly
250,000 people in the UK.
Legislation
Legislation,
which protects the rights of Deaf people under the law in Scotland, is
provided by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA Scotland - amended
2005). This piece of legislation is not devolved, which means that the
Parliament in London is responsible for it through a UK wide
organisation called the Disability Rights Commission.
The
Disability Rights Commission will be amalgamated with the Commission
for Racial Equality in October 2007 and the new Equalities Commission
will be responsible for all six of the current equalities strands:
Disability, Race, Age, Religion and Belief, Gender and Sexual
orientation.
Recent consultations from the Scottish Parliament
in Edinburgh have involved “A Language Strategy for Scotland” and
“Scotland’s Culture Bill”, so some Deaf organisations have taken the
opportunity to raise the view that perhaps BSL and Linguistic Access
issues would be better legislated for under culture and ethnicity laws
rather than disability legislation.
Education for Deaf pupils in Scotland
As
seems to be the case across Europe, mainstream inclusion is affecting
all areas of specialist education and many special schools in Scotland,
including schools for the Deaf, are closing. More and more deaf pupils
are being supported in units attached to mainstream schools in both
primary and secondary schools. Deaf schools that were traditionally
important centres for the development of BSL, as well as Deaf Identity
and Culture, are losing pupils and their rolls are dropping.
Sign Language
On
18 March 2003, the government announced their formal recognition of BSL
as a language in the UK but it does not have legal protection.
Spoken Language(s)
The official language is English, although Gaelic is spoken, primarily in the North and West of Scotland.
3. Sign Language Interpreters
How many interpreters?
SASLI
holds the public register of BSL/English Interpreters for Scotland.
There are currently 51 registered British Sign Language/English
interpreters and 8 Associates.
Do you have an Interpreter Association?
Yes.
SASLI was set up in January 1981, initially as a sub-committee of the
Scottish Council on Deafness (known as the Scottish Association for the
Deaf at the time). It became an independent organisation in May 1982.
How many members?
64 altogether (51 Registered Members, 8 Associate Members and 5 Co-opted Members)
Details of Interpreter Training
In
Scotland, there is only one training institution that provides
certificated training in BSL/ English Interpreting and this is a
Graduate Diploma at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. This course
evolved out of a partnership with SASLI, a pilot of the first stage of
a certificate course was launched in 1997. It was revised in October of
2007 into a Graduate Diploma. It is a 9-module programme and is studied
part time over a two-year period. The Diploma is rated at 15 Scotcat
credit points or at SCQF level 10.
Details of Interpreter Testing/Assessment and Accreditation/Certification
SASLI
has developed a new Supervision and Assessment Program for all
Associate Members of SASLI. Associate members are mostly graduates from
Heriot Watt University. They must achieve an average of a level B in
the second year modules in BSL and interpreting skills. Other
applicants are considered if they have approved prior learning of an
equivalent level and are given a skills test and interview. The panel
is composed of an Interpreter Assessor, Deaf Assessor and a member of
the Executive Committee. Associates go through a six month period of
mentoring before going through formal assessments. These are based on
the core competencies outlined in the National Interpreting Standards
as developed by CILT (the National Centre for Languages). We are
investigating the possibility of getting this programme certificated
and accredited as a Professional Development Award. All Registered
Interpreters are required to undertake Continuing Professional
Development and the first cohort began in April 2006. The CPD cycle
runs over a three year period and members have to undertake minimum
recommended numbers of hours of formal training, peer reflection and
self directed learning.
Important events since 2005
In
2005, SASLI received funding to oversee the delivery of a Graduate
Diploma in Teaching BSL Tutors course at Heriot Watt, which is leading
the way for the future of BSL Teachers in Scotland.
It is
believed that Helga McGilp, a British Sign Language (BSL) user, is the
first Deaf Director of an interpreting association in the world, which
is ground breaking for the Deaf community. As a consumer of
interpreting services, Helga is aware of the skills and standards that
are required.
SASLI received funding from the Scottish Executive
(the government in Scotland) to relocate our office from Edinburgh to
Glasgow and appoint four new staff in 2006/07: Helga McGilp Director;
Marion Fletcher, Policy Advisor; Ann Davis Training and Development
Officer and Geraldine O’Neill, Administration and Information Officer.
Goals for the future
2007
promises to be a very special year for the Scottish Association of Sign
Language Interpreters (SASLI), especially when we celebrate their 25th
anniversary in October.
Increasing membership of the professional
body is a major target. By 2010, SASLI aspires to have a membership of
over 100 individuals, potentially offering two different packages of
benefits, and to explore having a category of membership that includes
students. As part of developing the creditability, profile and
recognition of the BSL/English interpreting profession by the wider
public, SASLI will also build its association with other related and
developing professional communication services, their professionals and
their professional bodies – for example, deafblind communicators,
note-takers, lip-speakers, translators and communication support
workers.
SASLI intends to make changes in its governance,
management and organisation to strengthen its capacity to take its work
forward over the next few years.
We hope to be able to share our
resources with colleagues overseas. Standards set in Scotland by SASLI
will reflect and keep pace with developments happening elsewhere in the
UK and worldwide.