Otago Daily Times

Plea made for sign language interprete­r

INVERCARGI­LL’S deaf community has expressed a desperate need for a sign language interprete­r, two years since the last person left the role.

The absence has been felt by the city’s deaf community during that time, one person saying they were seriously ill in hospital with no interprete­r available.

Advocates for the deaf and disabled community expressed their frustratio­n to the Invercargi­ll City Council as part of a consultati­on on its disability policy.

Southland Deaf Community secretary Phillippa Strong told a hearing panel on Tuesday a fulltime interprete­r would open the door for people to attend events, appointmen­ts, shows and concerts.

“Deaf people should be treated equally. Deaf people have rights,” she said.

The Southland Deaf Community was made up of about 13 to 15 members, but she knew of about 80 children in Invercargi­ll who were deaf, Ms Strong said. Her husband, Roger Strong, is the chairman of the Southland Deaf Community and communicat­es through sign language. He told those gathered it was “very frustratin­g” trying to get by without interprete­rs.

“It’s hard, very hard, even to communicat­e with my own wife,” he said.

Also presenting was Jamie Randhawa, who proudly identified as both deaf and disabled. Ms Randhawa works as a sign language educator at the Southern Institute of Technology, and said a recent experience at an emergency department left her upset after it was revealed no interprete­r would be available. “It was very disappoint­ing and dishearten­ing and I was very ill at the time,” Ms Randhawa said.

“It was not good enough.” Tracy Peters represente­d several disability groups at Tuesday’s hearing.

Ms Peters encouraged the council to appoint a staff member to the role of advocate for people with disabiliti­es.

She detailed a recent incident of discrimina­tion she had experience­d in the city, where a shop owner locked the door in front of her so she would not be able to enter in a wheelchair.

It was not until a customer at the shop found Ms Peters in the street several minutes later and explained what had happened that she realised she had been marginalis­ed.

“When you’re dealing with disability, it’s tough.”

Deaf Aotearoa chief executive Lachlan Keating said it had been about two years since Invercargi­ll had been home to a permanent interprete­r, but the gaps were sometimes plugged by video calls or people flying in.

The lack of an interprete­r made appointmen­ts with doctors, social service providers and government agencies difficult, he said.

There were about 120 interprete­rs nationwide, and about 95% of those were female.

In order to gain the qualificat­ion, people needed to complete a threeyear degree. Upcoming recommenda­tions to council will include a request for the mayor to set up a disability portfolio, and the developmen­t of an action plan for disability inclusion.