On 7 and 14 September the Scottish Civic Trust partnered with British Deaf Association Scotland and Glasgow Women’s Library to deliver 2 workshops offering training on tour guiding for BSL users.
We covered a number of topics, including what a tour guide does, what skills a tour guide needs, how to undertake research, what to consider when planning a tour route through a building or around a site, and how to tell stories through objects, buildings, and people.
Not many heritage attractions around Scotland offer regular BSL tours of their properties or collections, meaning that BSL users miss out on many rich stories of buildings and places they pass by in their everyday lives.
This partnership aims to upskill and increase the confidence of participants, supporting them to connect with local sites where they can act as volunteer tour guides. This would be especially great during the Doors Open Days festival, but also impactful year-round. If you are a venue wanting to host one of our BSL tour guide trainees, get in touch.