Deaf community call for sign language interpreter
Imagine being admitted to hospital and you can’t hear or understand what the doctors and nurses are saying to you. That’s been the reality for Southland’s deaf community who have been without a dedicated sign language interpreter for the past three years.
The Southland Deaf Community organisation is calling for a new interpreter for the region as relying on translators to travel from Dunedin is impractical. But Deaf Aotearoa say there aren’t enough people in the area who require the service to warrant employing someone full time.
To communicate during this interview, Southland Deaf Community president Roger Strong used a transcribing app on a phone belonging to his wife, secretary Philippa Strong, but it meant looking at the screen and not being able to fully engage in the conversation. But an interview is just one example of when he would need an interpreter.
There’s doctor’s appointments, bank appointments, and Winz visits; while some members have pointed out how good it would be to participate in community events or theatre shows. “We really need interpreters in Invercargill,” Philippa said, adding that the region has been without one since the previous interpreter died. Using the example of a doctor’s appointment, she pointed out that sometimes she could get a same day appointment for Roger, but often they had to wait until an interpreter could travel from Dunedin.
“It’s a real nightmare,” she said.
When someone wasn’t available, they would be asked to use the government-funded relay service that converts speech to text and vice versa, using a computer or smartphone. “But a lot of our members are older and they aren’t up to date with technology. They would rather have face-to-face contact,” Phillipa said.
She conceded that the organisation wasn’t large, but believed more people would use the service if they knew it was available.
Deaf Aotearoa chief executive Lachlan Keating said a lack of interpreters was an issue many smaller towns and regions in New Zealand was facing. “It’s not a situation we are happy with. We can understand the community finds it frustrating,” he said.
Deaf Aotearoa had been discussing the challenge with its funders but its contracts were limited and it was difficult to keep someone in full time work in small communities, Keating said.
The Strongs have thrown their weight behind Disabled United NZ who have been protesting a pause to disability funding announced in March. “Money needs to be spent on people with disabilities to make it a safer environment,” Roger said.