“A message to our stakeholders
We have been working. Now we are ready to tell you what has changed 鈥� and what is coming next.
Following members鈥� voting earlier this year and with the formal approval of the Charity Commission, ABSLEP 鈥� the Association of British Sign Language Education Professionals 鈥� is the organisation you previously knew as ABSLTA. This is not a rebranding exercise. It marks a genuine turning point: a broadened mission, new professional recognition for BSL educators, and a direct invitation for your organisation to partner with us.”
New publications:
Professional Standards
The first national standards framework for BSL educators
ABSLEP has published its Professional Standards for BSL Educators 鈥� 40 standards across four themes: Professional Values & Attributes, Professional Knowledge & Understanding, Professional Skills, and Deaf Culture & Linguistic Skills. These standards are benchmarked against international frameworks for language teacher education and are designed to support BSL education professionals across every setting and career stage 鈥� from early years settings and schools through to further education, higher education, community learning, and lifelong practice.
Four-tier registration 鈥� pilot launches this year
The ABSLEP Professional Register provides the first formal professional recognition pathway for BSL educators in the UK. The pilot launches later in 2026, with full public launch in January 2027. Registration is open to instructors, tutors, lecturers, teaching assistants, trainers, coaches and mentors at every career stage.
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PEP聽Provisional Education Practitioner
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REP聽Registered Education Practitioner
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AEP聽Accredited Education Professional
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SEP聽Senior Education Professional
AI in BSL teaching
Protecting Language, Culture and Community as AI enters the classroom
ABSLEP has published its AI in BSL Teaching framework 鈥� a risk and safeguards guide that supports BSL education professionals in navigating AI tools while protecting Language, Culture and Community (LCC) values that make BSL education what it is. This is not a ban on technology. It is a commitment that AI will be used in ways that protect learners, authentic BSL, and the Deaf community 鈥� not in ways that undermine them.
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