An accessibility project is set to launch at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, bringing a new British Sign Language (BSL) experience to deaf visitors.
When the Garden’s historic Palm Houses reopen following restoration later this year, visitors will be able to access a series of short BSL videos explaining botanical terms through engaging stories about plant life.
Senior Glasshouse Horticulturist Kevin Bannon preparing the large stone gate palm for planting. (Image: Lynsey Wilson / Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)
The films are believed to be the first of their kind at any botanic garden in the UK.
Developed in partnership with the Scottish Sensory Centre’s BSL team at the University of Edinburgh, the project aims to tackle the lack of botanical vocabulary in British Sign Language.
The multimedia experience will form part of the restored Palm Houses when they reopen as part of the wider Edinburgh Biomes restoration programme, expected in autumn 2026.
To create the videos, RBGE scientists and horticulturists worked alongside BSL experts to identify the defining characteristics of different plants and botanical concepts.
These were then translated into BSL by a deaf-led team of scriptwriters and signers.
Visitors will be able to access the content by scanning QR codes positioned throughout the restored 19th-century glasshouses.
View of the former Tropical Palm House from the Temperate Palm House. (Image: Supplied)
As part of the project, 13 new BSL signs have been developed, including signs for palm, fern, spore, tree fern, epiphyte, frond, conifer and cactus.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh plans to share the new signs with organisations across the UK to support wider accessibility and knowledge sharing.
The initiative has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and forms part of the Garden’s commitment to making its collections and scientific knowledge more accessible to everyone.
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Sarah Cathcart, director of learning and engagement at RBGE, said: “Working closely with the Scottish Sensory Centre’s BSL glossary team, we have developed a set of elegant and expressive new signs in British Sign Language to deliver a more meaningful and immersive experience for members of the deaf community visiting the Garden.
“These signs represent just the beginning of this important project.
“Through this collaboration we will continue to expand botanical vocabulary, ensuring that the natural world is more inclusive and accessible for all.”
Dr Audrey Cameron, project lead at the Scottish Sensory Centre’s BSL Glossary project, said: “At present, very few botanical terms exist in BSL—even for familiar plant species such as daffodils.
“By creating new language designed specifically for the deaf community, this unique project takes an important step forward in widening access to the wonders of plant biodiversity.”
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