How many people use BSL in the UK? How many of these users are Deaf?
- Based on official statistics, we believe the figure is 151,000 and 87,000 of these are Deaf.
(This figure does not include professional BSL users, Interpreters, Translators, etc unless they use BSL at home)
What official statistics are you referring to?
- Our statistics are based on the percentage of ‘BSL users at home’ from the Scottish Census in 2011 because the question about BSL was badly phrased in the Census for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Therefore, this figure does not include professional BSL users, Interpreters, Translators, etc.
For every Deaf person who uses BSL, how many hearing users are there?
- Based on official statistics, there are 1.4 hearing people using BSL at home for every Deaf BSL user in the home.
How many qualified BSL Interpreters / Translators are there in the UK?
- According to NRCPD (National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People), there are 908 registered sign language interpreters (RSLI) and a further 234
trainee sign language interpreters (TSLI) in the UK. There are 11 registered sign language translators.(Source: Signature, October 2015)
How many people use BSL in England? How many of these users are Deaf?
- Based on official statistics, we believe the figure is 127,000 and 73,000 of these are Deaf.
(This figure does not include professional BSL users, Interpreters, Translators, etc unless they use BSL at home)
How many people use BSL in Scotland? How many of these users are Deaf?
- Based on official statistics, we believe the figure is 12,556 and 7,200 of these are Deaf.
(This figure does not include professional BSL users, Interpreters, Translators, etc unless they use BSL at home)
How many qualified BSL Interpreters / Translators are there in Scotland?
- According to SASLI (Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters), there are 66 registered sign language interpreters and a further 9
trainee sign language interpreters, as well as 2 Deafblind Manual Interpreters in Scotland. There are 6 Registered Sign Language Interpreting Agencies.
How many people use BSL in Wales? How many of these users are Deaf?
- Based on official statistics, we believe the figure is 7,200 and 4,000 of these are Deaf.
(This figure does not include professional BSL users, Interpreters, Translators, etc unless they use BSL at home)
How many people use BSL in Northern Ireland? How many of these users are Deaf?
- Based on official statistics, we believe the figure is 4,300 and 2,500 of these are Deaf.
(This figure does not include professional BSL users, Interpreters, Translators, etc unless they use BSL at home)
