Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----to run for local or general elections and to participate in the political process. That would certainly accelerate the work that is being done by the Committee on Justice and Equality and by the Oireachtas on this matter. It is to be hoped we will see people who are deaf becoming members of different local authorities and becoming Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas. It would be a very progressive and important step in our own political history.

I am very pleased to be able to speak on this important topic today, which I believe is an issue of basic dignity, human rights and equality. The debate offers an opportunity to reflect and consider how this State treats those in the deaf community. Unfortunately, a situation has been allowed to develop where some 5,000 people who are deaf in Ireland face a whole host of challenges and problems. In Ireland, many people who are deaf feel marginalised and socially isolated because of the lack of recognition, understanding and compassion towards this issue. The deaf community has been very proactive in trying to advance our understanding of the challenges facing people who are deaf and in highlighting the need for legislative action.

I commend the various interest groups who have championed the rights of people who are deaf, including the Irish Deaf Society and Deaf Village Ireland. I was very impressed, but also deeply disturbed, to hear some of the testimony of those involved in this area when they appeared before the Committee on Justice and Equality. I was struck by the issues and problems faced by so many people, for example, around seeing a general practitioner or any other health care professional and the lengths to which people must go to get that basic interface and communication in a situation that is fundamental to any person's life. As Deputy Clare Daly has said, if this measure were strengthened as legislation, we would be able to focus each core part of public policy towards improving the lives of and services for people who are deaf. It would also send a positive message that we take this matter very seriously and that we want to deliver for the people in this community.

A 1991 National Rehabilitation Board report found that 80% of adults who are deaf have a literacy equivalent of an eight or nine year old. This means that trying to read books, letters, newspapers, the Internet and all the things that hearing people do without a second thought becomes very difficult for some people who are deaf. Similarly, watching television, going to the cinema or listening to the radio is more difficult when English is not a person's first language. It is important that we put interpreting to the fore on our television screens as this would build positive awareness that sign language is a different language, and not just for the graveyard slot in broadcasting schedules on our national television. The small amount of interpreting by our national broadcaster is regrettable. One person, who is deaf, described their experiences for the committee as extreme marginalisation. This is simply unacceptable and cannot continue. It requires swift action, supported by all in this House. My colleague, Senator Mark Daly, has introduced a Bill on two occasions in the previous Oireachtas, which was rejected by the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government. It is unfortunate that no Member from either party has attended this debate at any stage this evening.

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