'Vital' plan agreed to put British Sign Language users at heart of daily life

dailyrecord.co.uk:

North Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet has approved a plan that will continue to put British Sign Language (BSL) users at the heart of daily life.The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 places a duty on public sector bodies - including local authorities - to promote and facilitate the promotion of BSL.This includes the development of six-yearly plans that consider the national British Sign Language plan and local needs.The Ayrshire Shared British Sign Language Local Plan for 2024 to 2030 was approved at Cabinet to help ensure BSL users can happily live, learn and work in – and also visit - the region.The plan was developed through the Ayrshire Equality Partnership, which a North Ayrshire Council is a member of, and applies across Ayrshire.The new plan replaces the previous one, which was effective from 2018 to 2024, and has been a collaboration of public sector partners, including South, East and North Ayrshire councils and Health and Social Care Partnerships, NHS Ayrshire & Arran and Ayrshire College.It is a high-level partnership plan and will be augmented through the development of an operational BSL plan, with further detailed actions that BSL users will be involved in developing.Following approval of the 2024 to 2030 Plan, a BSL video highlighting the key aspects of the plan has been produced and shared on partner agencies’ websites.

And an implementation group – including representatives from the BSL community – will be formed to help deliver the Plan.Consultation with BSL users from across Ayrshire has been key to the development of the Plan, and engagement has included: Ayrshire Society for the Deaf; BSL students from Ayrshire College; the Ayrshire Deaf Education Service and representatives from Elderbank Primary