The University of Edinburgh’s Data Education in Schools team will work with the Scottish Sensory Centre’s (SSC) British Sign Language (BSL) Glossary team and the Scottish Qualifications Authority to develop glossaries for Computing Science, Data Science and Cybersecurity terms.
The SSC has developed glossaries of BSL terms for different STEM areas, including Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and Geography. To date, there are no glossaries for computing fields. This causes great communication difficulties for Deaf learners and the Communication Support Workers (CSWs) and BSL/English Interpreters working with them, particularly for learners completing assessments in sign language which then need to be translated. If there are no standardised terms, then communication is slow and translation can be challenging. This glossary will support CSWs by providing access to information about each computing term via the BSL definition videos.
The project, which is funded by Skills Development Scotland and will run to 31st July 2021, will collaborate with BSL experts working in the fields of Computing, Data and Cybersecurity as well as sign linguists. The SQA will collate an initial list of terms. The experts will then identify existing BSL signs, adapt signs from other sign languages or create new signs for the terms. The signs will be filmed and be published on the SSC website. Signs will also be available through the SignBSL website and app.
Key contact: Kate Farrell, Director of Curriculum Development and Professional Learning. kate.farrell@ed.ac.uk