How can science and discovery centres raise awareness of STEM related British Sign Language (BSL) signs, to ensure deaf individuals are no longer excluded from scientific conversations?
Due to the complexity of scientific language, with continuously new or long terms, many interpreters shy away from working in STEM due to fear of misinterpretation. Finger-spelling, the method signers use to communicate words for which there is no specific sign, is often relied on but this can be slow and imprecise.
The Scottish Sensory Centre's BSL glossary project at the University of Edinburgh is creating and cataloguing new STEM-based signs, expanding upon currently available BSL vocabulary.
Fiona Slater (Science Museum Group) and Dr Audrey Cameron (University of Edinburgh) will host a session to discuss systemic barriers to inclusion in the sector and delve into a recent partnership project to expand and embed the growing lexicon of BSL signs.
