ALLIANCE response to the Scottish Government consultation on Video Relay Service for BSL users
- Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
- Type: News Item
- Published: 8th April 2025
The ALLIANCE has published a response to a consultation on Video Relay Service for BSL users
The ALLIANCE welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Government consultation on the provision of a Video Relay Service for BSL users.
Contact Scotland BSL is the Scottish Government’s national flagship service for Deaf and Deafblind people who use BSL as their first language. It enables thousands of people every year to access public services, providing independence and empowerment via online interpreting Video Relay Services, Braille displays, and speech synthesizers. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is universally accessible and free at point of use. It handles on average between 3,000 – 4,000 calls every month, with high satisfaction rates among users. It is one of the key successes of the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 and is held up internationally as an example of good practice.
The ALLIANCE believes that this service is essential to the day-to-day lives of Deaf and Deafblind people and their families, enabling independent access to civic society. It is vital that the Contact Scotland BSL service continues to operate 24/7, offering free communication support for BSL users and their families and carers to access public life and services.
You can access our response in both word and PDF in the resources section below.
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