By Jerram Watts
New services available to Deaf people are being welcomed with open arms – but a lack of interpreters can still make communication with the hearing world difficult.
Auckland Taxi Co-op has launched a service allowing deaf people to text for a taxi and the New Zealand Police are to launch an emergency text message service later in the year.
As part of New Zealand Sign Language Week, volunteer Carol Brady is manning a stall at Westfield St Lukes, raising awareness of one of New Zealand’s official languages.
“Sometimes technology makes things easier,” she says through an interpreter. “Often money is the problem, because of the expense involved.”
The biggest problem, Ms Brady says, is the lack of interpreters.
“I’ve been involved in a car crash before and there was no interpreter or anything, I went to hospital – no interpreter. I told them I needed one but they didn’t get one. In ended up going home, but they said I needed to stay – I ended up going to my own doctor who understands my communication.”
New Zealand Sign Language Week coordinator Kathryn Heard says more interpreters are sorely needed.
“Interpreters are an integral part of supporting the deaf community; with access to information and access in their own language. We have one interpreting course here for the whole country – which is in Auckland – and last year only three interpreters graduated,” she says.
Deaf people are able to use a video relay system which lets them call an interpreter, who is visible on a screen, and sign to them, while the interpreter calls the desired recipient to deliver the message.
However, users must have a high bandwidth in order for this to be successful.
“We need high broadband to access the service, but need more money to get the broadband,” Mr Brady says. “We need to campaign to get the equipment cheaper.
“We’ve been waiting and campaigning for a long time to try and lobby the Government to get the funding to make these things available – because who is going to pay for the text messaging service?
“We’ve been waiting for the things like the taxi service, but luckily it all seems to be moving ahead now, so that’s positive.”
The text messaging services are a “step forward” Ms Heard says, but the video relays service needs to be cheaper for more Deaf people to have access to it.
“It is expensive for the average Deaf person – they aren’t on big wages or salaries. It is an ongoing work in progress, it is a fantastic service.”
Ms Heard says Deaf Aotearoa is lobbying for more funding but that it is “a struggle”.
New Zealand Sign Language Week runs until tomorrow – to find out how you can take part or make a donation, visit the NZSL website.
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