Miss-Delectable
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`Toronto is the worst-served region' for those requiring language interpreters
Shortage of help may be difference between life and death,
"Where sign language interpreters are necessary for effective communication in the delivery of medical services, the failure to provide them constitutes a denial of the Charter of Rights."
— Unanimous decision by Supreme Court of Canada in 1997 (Eldridge v. British Columbia)
Sally Palusci sat in the hospital, her husband lying beside her in pain. She studied the faces of the nurses and doctors around her, trying to determine what was going on, but she couldn't ask them about her husband's condition — she could only worry.
Palusci and her husband are both deaf and when they asked the hospital to call a sign language interpreter for them, no one came to their aid.
"My husband wanted an interpreter, he wanted to know what was happening. They didn't call anybody, they didn't bring anyone in," Palusci said through interpreter Laura Henry.
The Canadian Hearing Society offers an after-hours emergency interpreting service for deaf people living in Ontario, but with a severe shortage of interpreters, many find themselves without a way to communicate during stressful situations.
There are between 25,000 and 30,000 deaf people in Toronto and only two interpreters available for emergencies.
"I'm embarrassed. Toronto is the worst-served region," said Palusci, who is also the services co-ordinator for Ontario after-hours emergency interpreting service.
The situation is better in the 905 region, with more than 15 interpreters on hand.
Palusci said an interpreter often isn't available, and if one is on call, they still may not be able to come because they are interpreting for someone else.
An inability to communicate could mean the difference between life and death. Palusci recalls an occasion when a child could not help their deaf parent in a time of need.
"A person called the emergency line for interpreters and there wasn't one available and the father died of a heart attack," Palusci said.
This type of scenario scares Danny Daniels, a father of four. Both he and his wife are deaf and he fears that, in the event of an emergency, he could have problems communicating.
"It would be nice to have that automatic response," Daniels said.
The problem is not limited to Toronto, as areas across the province are experiencing shortages, especially in the north.
"We have five full-time staff positions in the province we can't fill," said Cheryl Wilson, director of Ontario Interpreting Services (OIS).
Wilson said OIS has 126 interpreters working in the province who assist people during business hours. If a deaf person needed help, for example at a doctor's appointment or to speak to a bank manager, they would call the service and book an interpreter.
Some work full-time as interpreters, while others may only be available a few shifts a week. The interpreters are paid whenever they are called — $50 for every hour with a two-hour minimum. But they have to volunteer to be on call for the after-hours service. Palusci said many don't want the responsibility of being on call and having to respond during stressful situations.
The after-hours service was started three years ago along with an internship program to train interpreters. The service screens interpreters to ensure their sign-language capabilities are adequate, said Sheila Johnston, the manager of interpreter development at OIS. Finding people who can sign fluently is difficult and that's the reason for the shortage, Johnston explained.
Five Canadian colleges have interpreter education programs, but two Ontario schools have stopped offering the course — Cambrian College in Sudbury and St. Clair College in Windsor. Toronto's George Brown College is the only other school in the province training interpreters.
Johnston said many people drop out of the three-year course, and while the internship program is helping to fill the shortage, only about four interpreters a year are added to the pool.
Mount Sinai Hospital relies on the OIS to provide help, but there often isn't anyone available, said Joanne Fine-Schwebel, the director of volunteer services for the hospital.
There is a shortage of interpreters in northern Ontario and hospitals there have used video monitors, so an interpreter in southern Ontario using two-way cameras and speakers can see a patient in the north and interpret for them.
Fine-Schwebel said this type of technology helps, but it doesn't solve the problem.
"I think it's more comforting for the patient to have someone in the room. You should be able to have the same kind of conversation you have with other patients."
`Toronto is the worst-served region' for those requiring language interpreters
Shortage of help may be difference between life and death,
"Where sign language interpreters are necessary for effective communication in the delivery of medical services, the failure to provide them constitutes a denial of the Charter of Rights."
— Unanimous decision by Supreme Court of Canada in 1997 (Eldridge v. British Columbia)
Sally Palusci sat in the hospital, her husband lying beside her in pain. She studied the faces of the nurses and doctors around her, trying to determine what was going on, but she couldn't ask them about her husband's condition — she could only worry.
Palusci and her husband are both deaf and when they asked the hospital to call a sign language interpreter for them, no one came to their aid.
"My husband wanted an interpreter, he wanted to know what was happening. They didn't call anybody, they didn't bring anyone in," Palusci said through interpreter Laura Henry.
The Canadian Hearing Society offers an after-hours emergency interpreting service for deaf people living in Ontario, but with a severe shortage of interpreters, many find themselves without a way to communicate during stressful situations.
There are between 25,000 and 30,000 deaf people in Toronto and only two interpreters available for emergencies.
"I'm embarrassed. Toronto is the worst-served region," said Palusci, who is also the services co-ordinator for Ontario after-hours emergency interpreting service.
The situation is better in the 905 region, with more than 15 interpreters on hand.
Palusci said an interpreter often isn't available, and if one is on call, they still may not be able to come because they are interpreting for someone else.
An inability to communicate could mean the difference between life and death. Palusci recalls an occasion when a child could not help their deaf parent in a time of need.
"A person called the emergency line for interpreters and there wasn't one available and the father died of a heart attack," Palusci said.
This type of scenario scares Danny Daniels, a father of four. Both he and his wife are deaf and he fears that, in the event of an emergency, he could have problems communicating.
"It would be nice to have that automatic response," Daniels said.
The problem is not limited to Toronto, as areas across the province are experiencing shortages, especially in the north.
"We have five full-time staff positions in the province we can't fill," said Cheryl Wilson, director of Ontario Interpreting Services (OIS).
Wilson said OIS has 126 interpreters working in the province who assist people during business hours. If a deaf person needed help, for example at a doctor's appointment or to speak to a bank manager, they would call the service and book an interpreter.
Some work full-time as interpreters, while others may only be available a few shifts a week. The interpreters are paid whenever they are called — $50 for every hour with a two-hour minimum. But they have to volunteer to be on call for the after-hours service. Palusci said many don't want the responsibility of being on call and having to respond during stressful situations.
The after-hours service was started three years ago along with an internship program to train interpreters. The service screens interpreters to ensure their sign-language capabilities are adequate, said Sheila Johnston, the manager of interpreter development at OIS. Finding people who can sign fluently is difficult and that's the reason for the shortage, Johnston explained.
Five Canadian colleges have interpreter education programs, but two Ontario schools have stopped offering the course — Cambrian College in Sudbury and St. Clair College in Windsor. Toronto's George Brown College is the only other school in the province training interpreters.
Johnston said many people drop out of the three-year course, and while the internship program is helping to fill the shortage, only about four interpreters a year are added to the pool.
Mount Sinai Hospital relies on the OIS to provide help, but there often isn't anyone available, said Joanne Fine-Schwebel, the director of volunteer services for the hospital.
There is a shortage of interpreters in northern Ontario and hospitals there have used video monitors, so an interpreter in southern Ontario using two-way cameras and speakers can see a patient in the north and interpret for them.
Fine-Schwebel said this type of technology helps, but it doesn't solve the problem.
"I think it's more comforting for the patient to have someone in the room. You should be able to have the same kind of conversation you have with other patients."