Policy paper

British Sign Language 5-year plan: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – 1-year update, July 2026 (English and BSL versions)

Updated 15 July 2026

This was published under the 2024 to 2026 Starmer Labour government

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn1wyX-NXBs

---

Progress and impact in the last 12 months

DSIT’s 5-year British Sign Language (BSL) plan included 6 actions to be taken forward in this reporting period. These actions were designed to create a foundation of knowledge and processes to help DSIT communicate with BSL audiences increasingly effectively. All 6 actions have either been completed or are ongoing as intended. 

We committed to: 

1. Updating our forward-planning process to systematically consider the relevance of communications moments to disabled audiences by August 2025. This was updated in August 2025. Our wider forward-planning process has been updated and we are considering how best to incorporate BSL considerations. 

2. Developing relationships and contacts within DSIT’s arm’s length bodies and other significant stakeholders who are working to support BSL users through their communications throughout 2025. We engaged with our arm’s length bodies throughout 2025 to gain an understanding of the points of contact and existing BSL communications activity and we will continue to do so. 

3. Meeting the Cabinet Office BSL Advisory Board by December 2025 to gain feedback on our 5-year plan and establish understanding and processes for engaging the board on priority projects. We worked with the board secretariat in autumn 2025 and agreed the best approach would be to allow the new board members to get established, and then decide how best to engage with the board’s priority projects in 2026. This work is ongoing as intended.

4. Creating tailored guidance on BSL procurement for DSIT communications staff by December 2025. This guidance was circulated to staff in December 2025. 

5. Establishing a list of research and development projects that will benefit BSL users by December 2025, with a view to developing targeted communications to increase awareness of these projects. We engaged with our arm’s length bodies in 2025 to understand relevant R&D projects. These projects have not been at a suitable stage in their development to communicate but we plan to communicate about them in future. 

6. Organising deaf awareness training available to all communications staff by March 2026. This training was delivered on 25 March 2026.

Delivery to date has been on schedule. 

Priorities for the next 12 months

Our priorities for the next 12 months are:

• assigning one Accessibility Champion per communications team by June 2026, and ensuring all champions have completed specialised BSL in communications training by December 2026
• engaging with external community groups on our use of BSL in communications by June 2026 – this is in addition to our work in the last year which included having Remark! provide deaf awareness training to the DSIT communications team, including guidance, considerations and best practice for using BSL in our comms
• showcasing our arm’s length bodies’ work in relation to BSL over the course of the 2026 to 2027 reporting year 
• updating our guidance document on BSL procurement, including consideration of advances in AI and new tools, by December 2026

One adjustment is being made to our original 5-year plan. The original plan said DSIT would meet with the BSL Advisory Board to gain feedback on the 5-year strategy. Following engagement with the BSL Advisory Board Secretariat, DSIT has agreed with the Secretariat that this would not be the best way of engaging with the Board. Instead, DSIT will engage with the Board on priority projects, such as potential projects on the use of technology.