efsli Roadmap 2026–2029
April 27, 2026
What our members told us – and what it means
In 2024, efsli asked its member associations to help shape the next strategic period. What are the priorities that matter most? What do you expect efsli to do and what role should it play on each issue?
20 member associations responded. This article shares what you told us: the priorities that emerged, the role you expect efsli to play, and the concrete directions this opens up. The roadmap's next steps will be built jointly with the board.
Survey snapshot
- 20 full member associations participated
- Top 3 priorities identified across all respondents
- Role expected from efsli specified per priority
The 3 priorities that emerged
Three themes stand out clearly from the survey results. They are not equal in nature: each calls for a different kind of action and role from efsli.
1. Quality assurance & CPD systems
Role expected from efsli:
Resource provider: tools & guidelines
(39.3% of respondents)
This is the priority most closely tied to NASLIs' day-to-day work. Rather than proposing a single model, efsli will map the CPD and QA systems that already exist across Europe — what enables them, and what their trade-offs are. The goal is to give NASLIs a clearer picture of what works where, so they can make informed choices for their own context.
2. Legal recognition & professional status
Role expected from efsli:
European representative: EU advocacy
(42.9% of respondents)
Sign language interpreting remains unregulated in most European countries. Members expect efsli to be a united voice at EU level, supporting NASLIs in tackling this, and ensuring the profession is represented at key legislative moments around professional recognition and protection.
3. Deaf–interpreter alliances & trust building
Role expected from efsli:
Facilitator: space for exchange
(42.9% of respondents)
Trust between deaf communities and interpreting professionals is not a given. It has to be built deliberately through shared spaces, joint work, and honest dialogue. Members expect efsli to create and hold those spaces, not to impose solutions.
A fourth axis to watch
Structural inclusion of deaf interpreters (DIs) ranks 4th among NASLIs — but 2nd among individual members. This gap is significant. It is closely linked to the DI Alliances priority and will need to be addressed explicitly in the roadmap, particularly in relation to CPD frameworks and mixed-team standards.
Concrete directions
1. Quality assurance & CPD systems
Map what already exists across NASLIs before building anything new — we are not starting from scratch
Develop a flexible European CPD reference framework — a common base, not an imposed system
Produce practical resources: CPD portfolio templates, quality system implementation guides, shared online library
Make the explicit link: strong CPD → stronger case for legal recognition → better protection for deaf service users
Develop DI-specific CPD guidelines, co-produced with the efsli DI Committee
2. Legal recognition & professional status
Launch a cross-NASLI working group — focused meetings, concrete deliverables, not just exchange
Build a living map of national situations: legal status, registers, access conditions — open to all members
Create a shared advocacy toolkit: why recognition matters, which models work, how to respond to common objections
Open the conversation to deaf interpreters — joint NASLI/NAD sessions on what legal recognition that includes DIs actually looks like
efsli Day Zagreb 2026: a first visible moment to launch this work publicly
3. Deaf–interpreter alliances & trust building
Bring the question of mixed DI/interpreter teams to EU level — European Parliament, UN CRPD framework
Co-represent with European deaf organisations (EUD) — this advocacy must be joint, not unilateral
Produce a shared position paper (NASLIs + NADs) on what quality interpreting through collaboration actually means
Document and share models that already work — Sign on Air, co-training, bilingual events — so the network can learn from them
What happens next
These results give efsli a solid base. Three clear axes. Differentiated roles. And a strong signal of member engagement — 79% of respondents indicated they want to be involved in the work ahead.
The board will work from these orientations to define concrete implementation: sequencing, resources, governance. That is the step that follows. What you told us is the starting point.
Want to be involved?
If you are a member association and want to contribute to one of these workstreams, contact efsli at admin@efsli.org.
The roadmap is being built with you, not for you.