Gaining access to college and university timetables at an early stage was problematic.  As a result of the delay, this presented challenges in trying to get BSL/English interpreters booked in advance.  This impacted on students’ ability to attend lectures and classes as well as increasing social isolation and loneliness at university.  The process to obtain and book BSL/English interpreters, notetakers and other communication support from the start of a college or university course was therefore a more difficult task than it would normally be.  Additionally, there were challenges when trying to communicate with the lecturers to establish how best to work together and ways to raise any questions or concerns.  Although a lot of support was provided from different organisations to go into the university and work on sorting the challenges, having access to the timetables earlier would have made it an easier process.  This would have reduced the anxiety and prevented the initial gaps in learning during the first semester.

For another participant, while support at college was provided, a lot of communication and explanation was required to build a relationship with the BSL/English interpreter.  A further challenge was to ensure that the BSL/English interpreter had the ‘funds of knowledge’ to be able to provide a good interpretation in the various courses.  Having qualified and registered BSL/English interpreters who also had the skillset and knowledge of BSL terminology for the different courses was really important.  It was therefore not possible to book just any available BSL/English interpreter.  Checks had to be made that they had the understanding and were able to sign technical and complex terms.