BSL in Education
From the moment a Deaf or hard of hearing student accepts their place at college or university, Just Sign can support you to ensure they get the right support for their higher education journey.
Whether they require BSL interpreters, electronic notetakers or another communication professional, we will work to establish a consistent team of interpreters and/or notetakers to work with the student in lectures, classes, workshops, and projects, to provide high quality access for their course.
Benefits of working with us
Just Sign has worked with colleges and universities across Scotland, and have supported students studying at all levels, including PhD, Masters, Undergrad, HND and HNC degree programmes.
Support from the start
Our administration team will work with you to establish the right support for a student, and book communication professionals for a semester at a time to guarantee that all classes and teaching sessions are covered.
Collaborative working
To help us provide our service, we will ask you to provide the student’s timetable so we can secure interpreters for the upcoming semester. We may also ask lecturers/tutors to provide preparation materials (PowerPoint slides, handouts, videos) so our interpreters can familiarise themselves with the course content.
Social Interpreting
Without an interpreter, Deaf students often miss out on conversations and opportunities to make social connections with fellow students. Interpreters can support students outside of formal teaching sessions to allow access to the wider college/university social experience.
Support outside class
Interpreters can also be booked for translation support outside of lectures and classes, to support students with writing essays and assignments. Translation time can be done in person or online.
Customer testimonials
What our customers really think of us.
Name Surname
Name Surname
Customer journey
A typical customer case study journey and what we do and offer.
The opportunity
We were approached by a university as they had been advised that a Deaf BSL User had signed up to join the university as an undergraduate. The Student Disability Services (SDS) team had never come across this and were unsure where to start. The student would be embarking on a four year journey with the university and they were keen to get it right from the outset.
What we did
As soon as we had access to the students timetable of lectures, seminars, and tutorials we set about devising a timetable of interpreters. Our dedicated office staff were also available to respond to any queries the SDS staff had and action any update or changes to the student’s timetable. Once the timetable is finalised, we provide a copy to the university, student and interpreter.
We provided Deaf / BSL / Interpreter awareness training to staff ahead of the student starting their course. We recommended that this training be given to the Deaf students fellow cohort. We advocate that the Deaf student also attends this session.
We highly recommended allocating some additional time for translation work. Direct study can include readings, podcasts, prerecorded lectures etc.
The outcome
The timetable allows the university, student, and interpreters to know who was due to be working on any given day, what subject they would be working on and whether it was a lecture, seminar or tutorial. Having a set team of interpreters allows for continuity, it allows the interpreters and student to create subject specific BSL signs together, it increases rapport and creates an overall better experience for the Deaf student.
Providing awareness training to staff and students allows the student to integrate into university life as smoothly as possible as staff and fellow students have a better understanding of what it is like to be a Deaf BSL user and how to work with interpreters.
Allowing the student translation time gives a Deaf student equal access to information in their preferred language which assists with understanding, allowing the student to be fully immersed in their chosen subject matter.
BSL / Deaf awareness training sessions
Give your staff / students the confidence they need to communicate with colleagues/peers and customers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Why
Deaf awareness sessions aim to increase staff awareness of Deaf issues, people and culture, emphasising positive aspects of Deafness, encouraging social inclusion and raising awareness that supports those who are Deaf.
Improve your communication skills and understand how to make communication accessible.
What we do
Just Sign provides you with a Deaf BSL presenter who will work alongside a BSL/English interpreter to offer you either a 2-hour taster session or a half day/full day session.
We offer bespoke training courses that can be tailored to match your specific communication needs.
Benefit
Your staff/students feel confident in communicating with Deaf BSL users. Therefore, having an increased understanding of the barriers faced on a daily basis by the Deaf community. This allows your staff/students to work more effectively with Deaf BSL users.
This will also result in your Deaf BSL using colleagues and students feeling you have taken steps towards an inclusive work environment.
Need a Notetaker
Electronic notetakers (ENT) produce a set of notes for people who can’t take their own because they are either lipreading or watching a sign language interpreter. ENT’s can be used within an education or work environment, eg. Meetings, training courses, lectures seminars etc.
ENT’s produce a summary of what is being said, this is not a full verbatim, word for word account, of what’s being said.
Need Access to Work
If you are Deaf or have a Deaf member of staff they can benefit from a Government scheme called Access to Work (ATW). An assessment for eligibility to ATW would be carried out and a grant would be awarded to help pay for any communication support, eg. BSL/English Interpreter, Electronic notetaker etc.
Just Sign has many ATW clients and we can ensure the right support is in place throughout the working day such as support to make phone calls, respond to emails, attend meetings etc.
FAQs
BSL interpreters are trained to translate between British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken or written English in a variety of domains. Interpreters will facilitate communication between Deaf and hearing participants, and work to ensure that everyone understands and can fully participate in the conversation. BSL interpreters are registered with an appropriate registration body. Just Sign interpreters are required to be registered with either Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC) or National Registers of Communication Professionals with the Deaf and Deafblind Community (NRCPD). All interpreters are required to follow a code of professional conduct, and any information discussed during an interpreted conversation will be treated confidentially by the interpreter. BSL interpreters are expected to act in an impartial manner. It is not the role of an interpreter to offer advice or personal opinions, nor to advocate on behalf of a Deaf person.
Deaf BSL users prefer to use BSL as this is their first language. British Sign Language has a different grammatical structure and is linguistically different from English. Lip-reading is also not an appropriate method of communication as studies have shown that only around 20% to 30% of what is being said can be understood through lip-reading, with the remaining information having to be guessed based on context. Lip-reading is also only a one-way communication method, as the Deaf person may not be able to make themselves understood by the hearing person.
Interpreters will often book work weeks and even months in advance. In recent years, demand for BSL interpreters has increased dramatically, so it is recommended that you request an interpreter as far in advance as possible. Although we will always endeavour to secure interpreters for last-minute requests, we cannot guarantee provision as interpreters may have less availability at short notice. It is important to recognise that interpreters may choose not to work in specific domains, which further limits availability for booking interpreters.
There are several options to get in touch with us and arrange an interpreter. If you would like to speak to our team directly, please call our office on 0345 646 0446. Alternatively, click on the Enquire button at the top of the page, which will take you to a Contact form on our website to request an interpreter. In this form you will be asked to provide details about your appointment/event, including date, time, duration, and details of what the event is about, as well as your contact information. Please be aware that submitting this form is only a request for us to begin the process of securing an interpreter. It does not guarantee that an interpreter has been booked.
Once we have an interpreter secured for the time and date you have requested, we will send an email confirming the booking. If we are unable to secure an interpreter, we will contact you to offer alternative times or dates where an interpreter has indicated that they have availability, if these are suitable to you.
Please contact office@justsign.co.uk immediately to advise of any changes. This may incur a cancellation fee as per our Terms & Conditions, which are detailed within our confirmation letter.
Still have questions?
Check out our FAQ page for all our FAQs
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you
1 Haypark Business Centre
Marchmont Avenue
Polmont
FK2 0NZ