Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like my colleague, Senator O'Sullivan and others, I support the initiative of Senators Daly, Ó Murchú and Byrne in proposing this legislation. This is the second occasion the House has had the opportunity to discuss this very important issue. I echo the welcome to the deaf community. I hope this Bill will be another milestone in their continuing search for recognition. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to the House. I suggest the most relevant and important part of this proposed legislation is section 4 which states that the State recognises Irish Sign Language as the native and independent language which is utilised as a primary means of communication by a sizeable minority of the Irish population. This statement encapsulates the core provision of the Bill. Other provisions deal with technical and administrative matters and with processes.

I will give the background to this debate. Irish Sign Language is the sign language of Ireland used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. As Senator Quinn said, it is used in Northern Ireland where British Sign Language is also used. Irish Sign Language is more closely related to French Sign Language than to British Sign Language which was first used in Dublin. Irish Sign Language has influenced sign language in Australia and South Africa. According to the Irish Deaf Society, ISL arose from within the deaf community but I understand the language arose in its current form between 1846 and 1849 in the schools for deaf boys and girls in Dublin. It was introduced as far back as 1816. The first school for deaf children in Ireland was established in that year by Dr. Charles Orpen. It took some considerable time for a cultural change to develop, particularly in the Catholic religion, in favour of the introduction of oralism. Shamefully, at one point, the Catholic and Protestant institutions did not teach the children to speak. It was not until 1887 that the Claremont report changed the approach from a manual to an oral method.

Sign language was suppressed and religion was used to further stigmatise the language. For example, it beggars belief that children were encouraged to give up signing for Lent and they were sent to confession if caught using signing. We have come a long way, despite the hard rocks on the road towards full recognition.

St. Mary's School for Deaf Girls moved to an oral approach in 1946. I was surprised to learn that it was as recently as 1956 that St. Joseph's School for Deaf Boys shifted to oralism. This approach became formal State policy but not until 1972. All the developments in the use of Irish Sign Language are relatively recent. It is significant that as far back as 1988, the then MEP, Eileen Lemass, made Irish Sign Language recognition an imperative in a resolution she presented to the European Parliament. Recognition is imperative for fulfilling the Government's obligation under EU legislation. I ask the Minister of State to comment on Ireland's EU obligations in this regard.

I refer to statements by Dr. John Bosco Conama of the Irish Deaf Society at the launch of an appeal last year: "In keeping with the theme of achieving equality for deaf people, the IDS calls upon the Government to take urgent action in support of its commitment to the people of Ireland." He refers to Irish Sign Language as the third indigenous language of this country and the first and natural language of many deaf people. This fact is sometimes forgotten. We take the verbal word for granted and we think that everyone is at the same level but this is not the case. Irish Sign Language is the first and natural language of a significant minority of the Irish population and as such it should be legally recognised.

Public bodies should be required to provide the necessary interpretation services for deaf people. I cannot even for a moment attempt to contemplate how frustrating it must be for a person who is deaf to have to engage with a public body. Simple acts of daily life which we take for granted such as contacting a local authority or departmental offices become increasingly frustrating for those who are deaf because there is nobody at the other side of the counter who can interpret or communicate with them.

The Irish Deaf Society has stated that the failure to recognise Irish Sign Language places at risk the health and well-being of deaf people as they often struggle to avail of vital health and educational services. Many public and private services taken for granted by others remain inaccessible to deaf people. In spite of the frustration of dealing with the majority of service-providers who are unable to communicate with deaf people, I am pleased to note that the Irish deaf community is a vibrant and welcoming environment for those who embrace Irish Sign Language.

I ask the Minister of State to give some comfort to the Irish deaf community in this regard.

While I accept that not all elements of the Bill will be acceptable to the Government and I am somewhat disappointed that it is opposing the Bill, it could embrace some elements without legislating.

In the context of broadcasting, I hope that RTE might take a leaf out of the BBC's book. When the latter repeats programmes late at night, particularly on its minority channels BBC 2 and BBC 4, which carry many documentary-style programmes, they are always accompanied by a sign language interpreter.

Many initiatives could be introduced without the need for legislation. I hope that the relevant bodies will take account of this fact.