This field records whether or not a member of staff is a BSL user.

All staff at providers in Scotland where any Contract.TERMS is coded 1 or 2.

A BSL user is defined as a D/deaf and/or Deafblind person (someone who receives the language in a tactile form due to sight loss) whose first or preferred language is British Sign Language.

It is expected that higher education providers (HEPs) may not be able to provide BSL user code for a particular individual person if this information is not available or is omitted by their personal choice. Consequently there is an option of a default code not known for these members of staff (99), and another code denoting the entry 'Prefer not to say' (98).

A BSL user code must be returned for all staff in coverage of the field. Whether or not it has been possible to confirm the BSL user code for a staff member, the entry should be returned as follows:

• Where the person is a BSL user, providers return 01.
• Where the person is not a BSL user, providers return 02.
• Where the person would 'prefer not to say', providers return 98.
• Where it has not been possible to identify a person's BSL user status, and so is 'not available', providers return 99.

Providers should make best efforts to capture this information. Validation will be in place to monitor the use of false codes.

Information relating to BSL user status is asked in order to monitor equality, diversity and inclusion in the higher education sector and support institutions in meeting their obligations under the Equality Act 2010.