New service is hear to help deaf people

[Miss-Delectable]

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DEAF rights were given a huge boost after Wakefield Council unveiled its new communication and interpreting service.

This means deaf people from across the district will now have access to council sign language interpreters, who will attend pre-booked appointments with places such as banks, doctors and solicitors.

Deaf people will also be given a card to show at public places explaining that they require an interpreter.

And although services are not legally bound to do this, failure to do so may result in prosecution under the Disability Discrimination Act.

Duncan Wood, chairman of Wakefield Deaf Society, welcomed the scheme and said: "The interpreter service is there to ensure that the deaf fully understand what communications are happening in situations involving them, for example, when they go and see a doctor.

"Deaf people in the past have taken the wrong medication as a result, but this won't happen now with an interpreter explaining everything."

Bev Hetherington, service co-ordinator, said: "Deaf people are used to not getting the best of services and often being left in the dark, but times are changing and we want to improve the level of service they receive.

"People forget that deaf people's first language is signing and English their second, so merely writing things down is not enough.

"And everyone is a potential service user because anyone of us could become deaf and need support in communicating."

The scheme is also embracing the latest technology and a dedicated number is available for deaf people to contact the service via text message.

 

[Passivist]

I'm deaf but signing isn't my first language nor BSL in the UK, SE, and English is. The assumption seems some sop to political correctness, english may well be the second language of SOME deaf people, as is ASL the first language of some in America, but not, ALL. We're rather fed up of reading service providors spouting inaccuracies, as we are fed up with certain deaf and oral sectors only stating the reality as THEY see it. Rather than one type of access, shouldn't service providors be offering a global approach ? Now some get signed access, there seems to be a cut off point in the UK, that says deaf do not need any other form of access, when are the very adept and ABLE sign using activists, going to campaign along the lines we are all, different in approach and need ? All it does is make oral and other deaf go back to them to ask 'Where, is MY access ?". It just wastes time and creates dissent. Campaigns are never inclusive.