BSL:UPTAKE » Blog Archive » 4. Do you agree that the parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members of deaf babies and toddlers in Scotland should have the opportunity to access free BSL classes in order to be able to communicate effectively with the child?

4. Do you agree that the parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members of deaf babies and toddlers in Scotland should have the opportunity to access free BSL classes in order to be able to communicate effectively with the child?

90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents and into families with little or no previous experience of deafness. At present, if a parent of a deaf child in Scotland wants to access BSL classes to help develop communication with their baby at home, they have to pay for this out of their own pocket. In Sweden, all parents of deaf children are given opportunities to learn their indigenous Sign Language to help develop their child’s communication skills. A Sign Language training programme for parents (known as TUFF in Swedish) is available through a special curriculum established by the Swedish National Agency for Education. TUFF is designed to provide parents with functional Sign Language skills so that they can interact with their children and so support their child’s development. The rules and procedures for TUFF are contained in Regulation SFS 1997:1158,”Government subsidies for Sign Language training for certain parents.” – www.sdrf.se/sdr/object/files/obj_440ea8165f5ff.pdf .