Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I welcome those in the Public Gallery. They are more than welcome. I am sure this Bill is very important to them. It is the result of years of campaign work and pressure from the deaf community. They are the people who fight for resources for their community and for the recognition of the language and the culture. The deaf community has experienced many years of discrimination and isolation. The State's education system marginalises their language and this has resulted in social isolation of the community. Members of the deaf community should be very proud of their campaign work and in their achievement of having Irish Sign Language recognised as a language.

Solidarity-People Before Profit will support this Bill, but we also believe that there must be far stronger provision for Irish Sign Language as a full, official language of the State with legal obligations on those outside of the public sector also. The deaf community will have to fight - as do other communities - for the resources to make this recognition a reality. I am particularly happy to contribute to this debate because of Deaf Village Ireland on the Navan Road and the important role it plays in the life of the constituency I represent in Dublin West. Deaf Village Ireland forms the boundary of the constituency and many people who are deaf live in the area and have links with the local community on the Navan Road.

Irish Sign Language is indigenous to Ireland. The language should be valued as part of the deaf community's culture and as Irish culture. Irish Sign Language is used by 5,000 people in the State. The actual figure is thought to be much higher as a result of the fact that family members and work colleagues also use it at some level. Some estimates indicate that 20,000 to 50,000 people us the language. In the 19th century it was the dominant view that sign language should be discouraged because it was believed to be a barrier to integration. This was a mistaken belief. People were forced to fit in to the education system rather than the education system fitting their needs. It was an utterly backward idea.

Knowledge of sign language in general, and of Irish Sign Language, is essential for interaction with wider society. This interaction with education means that members of the deaf community often have lower literacy levels than the rest of society. In that context, 80% of adults in the community have same literacy level as eight or nine year olds. For the rest of society, the figure is 25%. The resources are not available to the community to fund Irish Sign Language education for their families. This means that members of the deaf community can often find it difficult to communicate with their own families and those closest to them. One survey indicates that 71% of deaf people are unemployed. They are fully capable of working productively but cannot hear, or have difficulty hearing, and use a different language. It is also difficult to get interpreters. There are approximately 60 to 70 interpreters in the State. Their number must be greatly increased. In Finland, there are 500 registered interpreters. The deaf community now needs to fight for massive investment to bring about the appointment of teachers and interpreters. Grown adults should not have to rely on family members to interpret for them.

While Solidarity-People Before Profit welcomes the Bill as an achievement for the deaf community, we need to keep active to fight for resources. The State has failed the Irish language and there are no legal obligations on private companies to use Irish, despite it being an official language of the State. The same could happen with Irish Sign Language. The deaf community has won this recognition but it will need to remain vigilant. Solidarity-People Before Profit believes that Irish Sign Language should be more than recognised, it should be an official language of the State. This would place the onus on the State to provide it and ensure that measures are carried through. There should be education for Irish Sign Language in all primary schools, even if it is at a very basic level. If there was a widespread knowledge of their language, it would open up the world of deaf people. There should also be targets for the public service providers - especially those in the areas of health and education and the Garda - to have a certain number of people with the knowledge of Irish Sign Language. A legal obligation should be placed on large private sector companies such as banks, supermarkets and utility companies to have a knowledge of Irish Sign Language among their staff. If courses and training were available I believe this would be taken up enthusiastically by many workers. It would break down many of the barriers faced by people who are deaf.

With this Bill, there are important gains for the deaf community. It comes in the context of many minorities, such as Travellers and the LGBT community, demanding their rights. However, we need to go much further.

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