SEIN Presents: Scottish Ethnic Minority Deaf Club

Tauseeb Aslam, the Engagement Officer for Scottish Ethnic Minority Deaf Club (SEMDC), spoke to Ruth Cape and Jess Steele of the South East Integration Network, about SEMDC’s climate challenge work with the deaf ethnic minority community in Glasgow. 

Image: SEMDC

By Ruth Cape and Jess Steele

Concerns about climate change arose from SEMDC members after a workshop delivered in 2017 in which they identified three key areas to focus on in their ‘Y Waste’ Climate Challenge Fund project. These were energy efficiency, food waste and climate literacy. This project brought a minority population into a conversation from which they had previously been excluded. 

‘Y Waste’ offered free support to help the ethnic minority deaf community of Glasgow and surrounding areas to move towards a low carbon lifestyle by reducing both energy use in the home and food waste going to landfill. Activities and community events served to increase understanding of climate change in the deaf ethnic minority community.

During the project, SEMDC and Home Energy Scotland worked together to create a referral process which was suitable for the deaf community. Prior to this there were barriers to accessing the service, which advises individuals how to efficiently use energy, water and transport. 

 SEMDC were also able to offer educational workshops to their members which greatly increased their awareness and engagement in climate conversations. Tauseeb reflects:

“It was extremely gratifying to see members eagerly requesting more information on renewable energy. Prior to the educational workshops, renewable energy was a completely unknown term to many members.

“Their additional questions and information requests on the topic have confirmed that, as a result of the educational workshops, they are now able to fully comprehend the new terminology and concepts, and build on their knowledge to affect behavioural choices and influence changes which can have a positive effect on the environment.”

The project wasn’t without its challenges though: climate literacy proved complex to navigate due to it being a new subject to many members. As sign language is an evolving language there are often no signs for climate terminology or jargon. The process of translating from English to British Sign Language, to ensure clarity of information and translation, can take a long time. Word order, grammar and syntax differ completely. It requires repetition and reinforcement for understanding and often needs the services of both a BSL and Native Deaf relay interpreter. 

On top of that, many of the SEMDC members are not fluent in BSL, and instead use their origin country’s sign language, or use only home signs (made-up gestures within the family). Some members have no signed language at all. 

Lockdown brought its own challenges, with members unable to source or use new technology. This enhanced feelings of loneliness, isolation and anxiety. SEMDC adapted their programmes online and provided new equipment and training. They also ran a series of regular climate change workshops on a twice-weekly basis. 

This project has officially ended, but SEMDC continues to provide climate-related support, including promoting the Home Energy Scotland referral service, providing specialist support including deaf relay communication and delivering information sessions. Speaking about the project, Tauseeb commented:

“The Climate Challenge Fund was a fantastic resource which helped SEMDC members to become aware of climate change. Our members require consistent education on climate change and continuous support to tackle energy efficiency and food waste issues. It is vital to continue this funding and ensure equal opportunities are open to all community groups. Because of ‘Y Waste’, the Scottish Government has better access to data and depth of information about the understanding of climate change and the experiences of people with protected characteristics like deafness.”

Aside from their environmental work, SEMDC have regular English/BSL classes, craft workshops, afternoon teas, and biweekly meetings.

The South East Integration Network (SEIN) is a network of community groups and organisations working across the south east of Glasgow providing services & activities to promote diversity & support community integration.