Research and publications

The Scottish Sensory Hub has carried out a range of research projects and consultations, primarily focusing on lived experience. Details of some of our recent publications are listed below.

Analysis of Local BSL Plans 2024-2030

The ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub undertook independent analysis of local British Sign Language (BSL) plans for 2024-2030. The findings and recommendations are available in a report.

The BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 is the legislation which recognises both visual and tactile forms of BSL. The Act requires the Scottish Government to publish a national plan every six years, setting out their strategy to “make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL signers to live, work, visit and learn”. The Act names a range of “listed authorities” who must produce their own local BSL Plans.

The publication of the new BSL National Plan 2023-2029 and the second round of BSL local plans represents a new milestone in promoting and supporting the human rights of BSL users in Scotland. The ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub have analysed these new BSL local plans to assess compliance with the law and highlight examples of good practice and areas of learning so far.

The report contains an overview of all published local BSL plans until August 2024, including the number of plans compliant with the legislation, the inclusion of Deafblindness and tactile BSL within plans, and the availability of information on the consultation process. The reports also features an analysis of the accessibility of plans (written and in BSL), and the content for regional Health Boards and local authorities on the 10 priority areas found in the BSL National Plan 2023-2029. The report includes reflections and recommendations for ensuring that BSL users can participate fully and equally in society and enjoy their human rights.

A BSL video of the report summary, with captions, is available here.

The full report and accompanying summary are available here.

Accessible information on Self-directed Support – Lived Experience Research

The ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub completed a consultation on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the implementation of the Self-directed Support (SDS) Improvement Plan 2023-27. One key activity in the SDS Improvement Plan is to ensure the provision of accessible information and communication around SDS. This includes communication and support planning and promotion and signposting of appropriate tools and language services. From December 2023 to February 2024, the Scottish Sensory Hub carried out a small-scale mixed methods research project into people’s experiences of accessible information around SDS and social care (a national online survey, focus groups, and one-to-one interviews).

There was widespread agreement among participants that SDS is not publicised enough for people who are Deaf, Deafblind, or who have Visual Impairments – and more needs to be done on introducing SDS in accessible formats. People who are Deaf, Deafblind or who have Visual Impairments highlighted a range of difficulties in receiving information that was accessible to them when they needed it. They outlined a lack of awareness of how to provide accessible information, particularly from professionals, such as social care workers, social workers, occupational therapists, as well as GPs, audiologists and opticians. While provision of BSL interpreters from local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) was welcome, people also highlighted a lack of resources, resulting in delays to assessments and support. Respondents recommended more sensory awareness training for healthcare professionals and social workers, including signposting to accessible information.

A BSL video of the report summary, with captions and voiceover, is available here.

The full report and accompanying summary are available here.

See Hear Strategy – National Lived Experience Consultation

The ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub completed a consultation on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the new See Hear Strategy. The See Hear Strategy is the Scottish Government and COSLA strategy to support children and adults are Deaf, Deafblind, or who have Visual Impairments. The previous strategy was published in 2014. After 10 years, Scottish Government developed a new version.

From September to November 2023, the Scottish Sensory Hub carried out a mixed methods research project with adults (a national online survey and focus groups). The national online survey and focus groups covered what topics the new See Hear Strategy (SHS) should contain. Participants highlighted the need for the Strategy to prioritise human rights and to involve people with lived experience via a co-design approach. They also outlined examples of good practice in terms of support and services for people with sensory impairment, as well as a range of areas where improvement was needed.

The full report and accompanying summary are available here.

See Hear Strategy – Lived Experience Consultation with Ethnic Minority People

The ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub was also asked to carry out a consultation with ethnic minority people on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the new See Hear Strategy.

Participants highlighted a lack of inclusive communication practices and provided examples of barriers experienced in accessing care and support. People discussed the varied impact of stigma and discrimination, particularly across the intersections of age, disability and ethnicity. Recommendations to reduce cultural stigma and discrimination included mandatory sensory and cultural awareness training for public sector staff, as well as interventions to inform people from ethnic minorities about their legal rights, such as the Equality Act 2010. Participants spoke in detail about the need for ethnic minority people to be meaningfully involved in co-production of solutions, with effective feedback loops and opportunities for ongoing influence on decision-making – not simply consultation.

The full report is available here.

Examining the Efficacy of Lipreading Classes in Scotland

In 2023 the ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub carried out a review for the Scottish Government of the efficacy of lipreading classes as an adult aural rehabilitation approach. Lipreading classes are a form of aural rehabilitation for adults living with deafness. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that healthcare systems should prioritise rehabilitation, and the Scottish Government aims to alleviate loneliness and isolation, which is particularly relevant for aural rehabilitation because unsupported deafness/poor access to inclusive communication is an established risk factor for both.

The main findings of the review are that lipreading classes are beneficial in terms of improving feelings of well-being and increasing communication confidence. The report highlights several considerations for future service planning

The full report is available here.

Response to the Consultation on the BSL National Plan (Scotland)

In September 2023 the ALLIANCE responded to the Scottish Government consultation on the British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan 2023-2029. Our response represented a range of BSL and tactile BSL users, findings from recent engagement exercises, and feedback from staff involved in these engagements. Key points of our response include:

• Data gathering is transformative when it is applied to progress human rights and social justice. For this reason, it is crucial BSL data includes disaggregated data to reveal inequalities which may be concealed within aggregated data.
• All workplaces need to be more sensory aware and consider the benefits of as well as a need to keep people with age-related experiences of sensory loss in employment longer.
• Skills development should include a more rounded understanding of communication and language barriers with a view towards developing a consistent set of national symbols to add richness of comprehension for all. Workplaces need to cater for all employees routinely, rather than relying on requests for reasonable adjustments.
• It is critical to work with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and other professional groups to ensure lived experience BSL users obtain qualified teacher and other relevant professional status.
• Equal opportunities for people whose first or preferred language is BSL is necessary to secure employment in the field of arts and media, improving representation. Plans need to support both the growth and support of BSL in a context of integration with others. To harness the culture and creativity of all BSL users, there should be concerted efforts to expose inequalities and identify power hierarchies wherever these exist, to ensure no one is discriminated against or prevented from participating.

The full response is available here.

Mapping Sensory Loss Awareness Training Across Scotland

Scotland’s national See Hear Strategy identifies sensory loss awareness training as a potential lever for change because it can help staff better support people with lived experience. To support the development of an informed national approach to sensory loss awareness training, the ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub carried out research to identify the different elements of existing provision across the country. An online survey aimed at organisations that provide sensory loss awareness training was live from May to June 2023. 

In general, there was no single agreed definition of “sensory awareness training”, and therefore what constitutes such training is open to interpretation. Some training providers are accredited, others are not, and there is inconsistent involvement of people with lived experience in training design and delivery. Trainers themselves hold a range of skills, qualifications and experiences, and not all courses involve pre- and post-training evaluation. All providers who responded to the survey provide in-person training, and some offer hybrid options. One of the most common areas across survey respondents was in the core training components.

The research and considerations paper is available here.

Sensory Care in Care Homes: Understanding the Why

Sensory care can be defined as any type of care related to the senses which is necessary for a person’s communication, access to information and mobility. These themes are human rights as well as being critical enablers for accessing other rights.

In June 2023, the ALLIANCE Scottish Sensory Hub organised a roundtable to explore the “why” of sensory care in care homes – why does this type of care matter in care homes for older people? Understanding the why helps us better navigate the “how”, and provides the motivation for us to act. We called for the embedding of a human rights-based approach to sensory care, highlighting the need to respect people’s right to information, right to communication, and right to language.

Resources from the session, including a flash report, presentation notes, and video, are available here.

National Review of Audiology Services – Engagement Insights

In partnership with colleagues across the ALLIANCE, members of the Scottish Sensory Hub ran a series of engagement events to feed into the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland. This lived experience engagement informed the Review, and the ALLIANCE were subsequently invited to be part of the Audiology Implementation Delivery Group.

Findings from the ALLIANCE engagement activity are available in a report here, and a BSL video is available here.