Police Scotland, supported by Heriot-Watt University, has created a series of British Sign Language (BSL) videos aimed at the deaf community affected by domestic abuse.
The series, comprising 13 videos, provides crucial information on domestic abuse, including how to recognise abusive behaviours and how to report them. These videos are available on the Police Scotland website, offering accessible resources for the deaf community.
Professor Jemina Napier (pictured above), Chair of Intercultural Communication at Heriot-Watt University, collaborated with Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit (DACU) and its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Unit to develop the project.
As a leading expert in the field of sign language interpreting and translation, Professor Napier brought extensive experience, having led significant studies such as Justisigns2 and SILENT HARM, which were among the first UK research efforts to document the unique experiences of deaf women surviving domestic abuse and communicating via interpreters.
In this latest project, Professor Napier led a mixed deaf-hearing team of experts who created a BSL glossary of 33 key terms related to domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence. This glossary was integral to the videos, ensuring that critical concepts were accurately conveyed in BSL.
“The translation of the videos was made possible through generous support from the Heriot-Watt University Impact Acceleration Fund, allowing us to effectively donate the BSL-translated videos to Police Scotland,” explained Professor Napier.
“Collaborative research and evidence-based development of resources like these are essential to ensure that deaf individuals reporting domestic abuse have equitable access to information, services, and support.
“It also ensures that BSL interpreters are equipped to meet the needs of deaf BSL users in such sensitive contexts.”
Early next year, Professor Napier will begin a new project examining the impact of domestic abuse on families across the UK. The 12-month study will involve interviews with deaf survivors of domestic abuse and practitioners, documenting the impact on children as co-victims if they get drawn into interpreting for their deaf parents in domestic abuse situations.
The new Police Scotland videos tackle some of these barriers by translating key information into BSL. Topics include questions such as “What is domestic abuse?” and “What can I do if this is happening to me?”
The videos are available now and can be accessed by visiting https://www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information/domestic-abuse/
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