Glasgow Clyde College sees 50% increase in demand for BSL courses

By Kyle Bettley, Curriculum and Quality Lead in Access and Continuing Learning at Glasgow Clyde College 

In January, Members of Parliament unanimously backed a bill to give British Sign Language (BSL) formal legal recognition and increase its use in public services.  

Championed by Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis, the bill gives BSL legal protection and supports its 150,000 speakers across the UK. 

For the 12,000 or so BSL speakers in Scotland, we’re slightly ahead of the curve. 2015’s BSL Scotland Act set out to integrate the use of BSL into everyday life in order to make Scotland more accessible for the community.  

Over the years, Glasgow Clyde College has developed an inclusive British Sign Language plan that ensures equal access to education and opportunities.  

As a result of her dancing debut, Ayling-Ellis has had a profound impact on the deaf community across the UK and beyond. Google searches for 'sign language' rose by a staggering 488%! 

At the college, we saw a 50% increase in enquiries about our diverse BSL offering - ranging from part-time, full-time and evening courses.  

Many applicants are coming to BSL for the very first time, and have been inspired to learn the language to improve their inclusivity. For beginners, our 'Love to Learn’ BSL evening courses give students the opportunity to learn without the pressure of working towards a qualification.  

BSL students at Glasgow Clyde College develop skills in a range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts, allowing for a deeper level of understanding and an increased level of practical use. Each course allows individuals to study the language, whilst also learning about the Deaf community, history and culture.  

Experienced lecturer, Lorna McIntyre, is a first language BSL user and skilled lip-reader. For over 30 years her passion has been improving communication with, and integration of, the Deaf community. As a testament to her services to the area, Lorna was awarded the Signature BSL Teacher of the Year Award in 2017. 

Including Lorna, we have a team of six profoundly deaf lecturers at the college who are all first language BSL users which reflects the college's inclusive recruitment practises.  

The recent spike in popularity of BSL has been a blessing to the entire deaf community, as it has helped pave the path to inclusivity. The college will continue to offer BSL learning opportunities at all levels to ensure we’re playing our part in this important moment.