British Sign Language (BSL) route map: integrated impact assessment

Purpose

The BSL route map reflects our commitment to create positive change and to building a more inclusive, equitable society where BSL is recognised, celebrated and embedded across public life.

The route map will represent the first steps toward realising our ambition of creating a Wales that respects, promotes and facilitates BSL, through short- term actions to be completed within 18 months. These actions will lay the groundwork for future policies and strategy, to create lasting change and greater inclusion for deaf BSL signers.

The actions within the BSL route map have been informed by the short-term recommendations produced by the BSL Stakeholder Group.

Long-term ambition

The BSL route map sets out our shared overall ambition:

to build a society that empowers the deaf BSL signing community, and to create a Wales that promotes equitable access and which promotes, facilitates and values BSL as a vital part of Welsh society.

Integration

Action in relation to BSL is cross-governmental as well as intersectional. Each policy area such as education, health and social care allocates resources to deliver against Government objectives. These resources contribute to improving BSL outcomes as part of a wider policy initiatives.

The BSL route map sets out the initial actions to promote and facilitate BSL, challenge existing language barriers and improve outcomes for the deaf BSL signing community of Wales.

The BSL route map contains 4 key themes and 10 actions, shaped by the short-term recommendations of the BSL Stakeholder Task and Finish Group. The 4 key themes are: 

1. BSL data collection and evidence.
2. Promotion of BSL as a language. 
3. Welsh Government BSL provision.
4. Pathways across public services.

The themes and actions contained within the BSL route map are cross-government and relate to BSL across multiple Welsh Government policy areas. Cross-government actions which relate to specific policy areas, will be deliverable as part of existing policy objectives and strategies.

Integration: Disabled Peoples Rights Plan

The Disabled People’s Rights Plan for Wales sets out our ambition for a Wales where disabled people can enjoy equitable rights, inclusion and participation. We recognise that many deaf BSL signers do not always consider themselves to be disabled, but a linguistic minority. The BSL route map will sit alongside the Disabled People’s Rights Plan, recognising BSL with its own unique cultural, historical and linguistic identity.

Actions within both the BSL route map and the Disabled Peoples Rights Plan will compliment our goal to promote and facilitate BSL.

Building on progress

We have begun making cross-government progress in strengthening the recognition, promotion and facilitation of BSL across Wales, and to deliver our vision of building a society that empowers the deaf BSL signing community. The short-term actions laid out within the route map will align with and build upon cross-government work and strategies that are already underway.

On 22 September 2025, the Welsh Government published broadened and renewed NHS All-Wales Accessible Communication and Information Standards. The Standards are now accompanied by the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for commissioning interpretation and translation services in primary and emergency healthcare, and the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) for GP Practices. The renewed Standards include capturing and retaining accurate patient information, to allow service providers to communicate with patients, including deaf BSL signers, clearly and effectively. The implementation of the renewed Standards will complement and support the work of the BSL route map.

Collaboration and involvement

The Welsh Government is committed to designing and developing policy which is shaped by lived experience and delivers the greatest positive impact to deaf BSL signers.

The BSL Stakeholder Task and Finish Group was established in January 2025, following the Cabinet Secretary Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip’s written statement published in November 2024. The group was tasked with developing a set of key recommendations to inform the Welsh Government’s production of a BSL policy route map.

The group has met monthly between January and July 2025 to explore language barriers and the actions required to ensure equitable access to information and services for deaf BSL signers across a broad range of policy areas. Topics have included language rights, data and research on BSL, the provision of BSL in education and in health and social care, BSL interpretation and translation.

The work of the group in producing recommendations has now concluded and the group’s recommendations and terms of reference were published on 30 September 2025.

The group brought together a diverse and representative mix of stakeholders, including deaf organisations and charities, each contributing valuable expertise and lived experience. Discussions were undertaken in BSL as the primary language of the group. The group was co-chaired by 2 deaf BSL signers.

Following the completion of the work of the BSL Stakeholder Task and Finish Group, the group has reconvened for a period of 18 months under a new Terms of Reference, to support the delivery of the route map and the implementation of the short-term actions. This timescale of 18 months will ensure that stakeholders are involved in the full delivery period of the short-term actions laid out within the BSL route map and maintain regular engagement.

The Welsh Government will continue to engage and consult with the deaf BSL signing community to ensure we understand the most pressing challenges facing the deaf BSL signing community in Wales.

Outcome and impact

The short-term actions within the route map are intended as a starting point, to underpin the pathway for future policy development across the Welsh Government and to begin the journey to achieving our overall vision.

By firstly focusing on the delivery of short-term priorities, which focus on promotion and raising awareness, mapping and scoping, and data collection, we can build the foundation for future progress.

The route map sets out the actions that the Welsh Government will take forward in the short term, to be completed within 18 months. The delivery of the short-term actions will commence upon publication, with a target for completion within 18 months from the starting point.

By initiating these foundational activities early, we aim to sustain momentum and ensure that long term goals are actively prepared for. Setting a period of 18 months for the completion of short-term actions, allows us to set measurable, time-bound actions to deliver meaningful change to deaf BSL signers.

Costs and savings

The short-term actions will be funded through the overall budget of the Welsh Government, ensuring alignment with policy delivery priorities that span multiple departments. Each department will retain its own dedicated budget to deliver its specific priorities, with mechanisms in place to ensure cohesive implementation across intersecting areas. 

How have people most likely to be affected by the proposal been involved in developing it?

The BSL route map sets out the initial actions needed to promote and facilitate the use of BSL and to improve outcomes for the deaf BSL signing community in Wales.

The BSL Stakeholder Task and Finish Group was established to inform Welsh Government policy development and advise on key and emerging issues which affect the lives of deaf BSL signers in Wales.

Discussions and consensus within group meetings have reinforced the importance of promoting and facilitating the use of BSL in Wales, to help address language barriers, ensuring greater equity for deaf BSL signers.

The BSL route map, has been informed by the work and recommendations produced by the BSL Stakeholder Group. The 4 themes and 10 actions contained within the BSL route map, directly respond to the group’s short-term recommendations, ensuring that lived experience drives meaningful change.

The actions within this route map have been shaped by the lived experience and resilience of the group members.

The work of the group marks a positive step forward in supporting deaf leadership and strengthening engagement with members of the deaf community through meaningful partnership working. Using BSL as the main language has enabled us to better understand the priority areas for action and change, and to identify the challenges and language barriers faced by deaf BSL signers.

What are the most significant impacts, positive and negative?

Welsh Government are committed to creating an inclusive society where everyone can participate in all aspects of life. We recognise the existing language barriers faced by deaf BSL signers in Wales and we are determined to address these.

This route map sets out the actions that Welsh Government will take forward in the short term, to be completed within 18 months. These actions represent the first steps toward realising our ambition of creating a Wales that respects, promotes and facilitates BSL, laying the groundwork for future Welsh Government policy, strategies and plans, and to ultimately create lasting change and greater inclusion for deaf BSL signers. These actions will lay the groundwork for future policies and strategies.

The BSL route map, supports our overall ambition of creating an equal Wales with inclusion at the centre of Welsh Government policy. The route map positively contributes towards creating a fairer society, through paying due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations.

We have not identified any negative impacts resulting from the actions within the BSL route map. The actions within the route map focus on data collection, mapping and scoping.

In light of the impacts identified, how will the proposal: 

• maximise contribution to our well-being objectives and the 7 well-being goals
• avoid, reduce or mitigate any negative impacts

Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

The proposals and actions to promote and facilitate BSL contained in the BSL route map will contribute to achieving the well-being goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015. 

The Well-being of Future Generations Act provides a national legislative framework for Government and public bodies to maximise their contribution to work towards well-being goals that seek to improve the social, environmental, cultural and economic well-being of Wales. 

The BSL route map aims to improve the lives of deaf BSL signers in Wales through the promotion of BSL and deaf culture in Wales, and to encourage greater understanding, visibility, and inclusion in society. The route map includes actions which relate to the promotion and facilitation of BSL, which will support existing requirements to deliver our objectives to improve well-being.

The actions outlined within the BSL route map will help Welsh Government to maximise its contribution to the Well-being Goals, particularly the goals of ‘a more equal Wales’ and ‘a Wales of Cohesive Communities’ and reflect our commitment to fostering a more equitable Wales that ensures equal access to services and proactively addresses inequality.

No negative impacts have been identified following this impact assessment.

How will the impact of the proposal be monitored and evaluated as it progresses and when it concludes? 

We are committed to strengthening our engagement with the deaf BSL community. Understanding the lived experiences of deaf BSL signers is essential in shaping our cross-government policies. 

Following the completion of the work of the BSL Stakeholder Task and Finish Group a Stakeholder group has reconvened under new Terms of Reference. These Terms of Reference set out the purpose of the group and include maintaining engagement with stakeholders involved in the initial phase, provision of updates on progress made in implementing the recommendations and developing the BSL Route Map, insight into new and emerging themes and strengthening relationships to ensure continued collaboration and transparency.