voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
British Sign Language assistance for clients of Social Security Scotland
Created: 02/12/2022Social Security Scotland has introduced new support for clients who may be deaf or hard of hearing by including the option of facilitated conversations with British Sign Language in their communications with clients. Conversations can also include advisors and an interpreter. This service will be used for longer appointments including identity and verification requirements.
ContactScotland-BSL will continue to be used for arranging appointments or for short, relatively simple calls with British Sign Language clients, lasting no more than 30 minutes. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) calls will be able to be scheduled in advance with Sign Language Interactions and conducted on the Near Me video conferencing platform. This allows a three-way video conference where the three participants are each in different locations.
The service can also be booked for face-to-face meetings where all three people are in the same room. In addition to British Sign Language interpretation, support is also available for deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing clients, including Text Relay, Electronic Note Takers, Deafblind Interpreters, Communicator Guide with Deafblind people, Lip speakers and Palantypists.