David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are very fortunate with this Minister of State. I have known him for quite a number of years and I know he has a full and personal commitment in the area of disability. I spoke with him yesterday and he indicated his absolute support for the Bill. The last time such legislation was introduced in the House, it was defeated by three votes. I am sorry and ashamed that happened. I do not think it will happen today. I do not think there will be a single voice raised against the Bill in this House. Perhaps, therefore, it is not necessary to have a vote, although it might be good to have a vote to show the support of Seanad Éireann.

This afternoon demonstrates the relevance of Seanad Éireann as an instrument for social change.This is very often not recognised as a fact but, as Senator Leyden said, this would not have happened without Senator Daly and Seanad Éireann. This is a personal initiative of Senator Daly. I asked him whether the Bill was provided to him by the Irish Deaf Society. He indicated it had helped, but he constructed the Bill himself with the assistance, and this is an important innovation, of a draftsperson supplied by the Oireachtas. This will help us introduce more and more legislation.

The legislation is comprehensive. I will not go into it in great detail as we can do so on Committee Stage, but I should say it needs a little bit of updating. It speaks about the level of interpretive services and states we need 18,000 hours with a maximum of 60 hours per person by 1914. I must inform the House that 1914 is well and truly past.

Last night, by coincidence, I was visiting a neighbour of mine in North Great Georges Street and I discovered that Dr. Charles Orpen, who started the first school for the deaf and used sign language, lived in the house in 1816 when he was running the school. It is a curious little personal memoir.

I must pay tribute to the Centre for Deaf Studies in Trinity. Senators Ruane and Daly and I spoke at a very interesting meeting there. I learned a great deal from the stories of deaf people. I could not believe that until recently sign language was more less outlawed in educational institutions. Children had their hands tied behind their backs. This is a frightful violation of the human rights of deaf people and for that, as a hearing person, I apologise. This is really shocking.

There are 5,000 deaf people and 40,000 additional people who are members of families, friends or relatives. As hearing people, we do not really think about these things, but for these people sign language is not just sign language, it is their first language. It is the language they use and the language they have. As a hearing person, this had not really struck home with me.

It is astonishing that service providers such as Government agencies are not required to have interpreters. Very often we see Polish translations, Rumanian translations and even Chinese translations, but we do not have translations for our own citizens. I find this very shocking. The ways in which the people are deprived of proper access to medical services, educational establishments and social services is dreadful. It is one of the hidden crimes of this society.

More than 40 local authorities have passed motions accepting this legislation. In Northern Ireland, sign language is recognised. Is this not an astonishing thing? Here is partition again. The North has it and we do not have it. There is no automatic right for deaf people to have an interpreter in court. How astonishing that a person can be in court and not actually understand what is going on in a case being prosecuted for or against him or her. I find this quite incredible. I received a note from the students of the Holy Family School for the Deaf in Cabra. They pointed out that if they have to go to hospital or to other places, they are stranded and are isolated. They also strongly support the Bill.

I received an e-mail from a very interesting young woman in her early 30s. She has been profoundly deaf since she was eight months old. She spoke about her educational experience. She did very well at maths but she was useless at English. The reason was perfectly simple. She had an interpreter for the maths class who was able to speak sign language. This brought her on to the level of the other students. In English class, there was no assistance, so she was trapped in a world of silence and fell behind. When people's education suffers, their job prospects and social prospects also suffer so there is a continuing deprivation. Last year a man crashed into her car. The police came but there was no interpreter. She could not understand what the garda or the other motorist were saying. Again, she was absolutely stranded. She had no possibility of a really positive interaction.

I received a note from somebody who was an interpreter, and I pay tribute to the interpreters here today and thank them for coming here. It is splendid that Seanad Éireann provided these facilities when Dáil Éireann found it could not. This shows the flexibility of Seanad Éireann. Very often there are no interpreters at parent-teacher meetings. Interpreters cost €120 to €150, which is a lot of money for somebody on a small income. The interpreter who wrote to me has been asked to go along on apro bonobasis to help out in these circumstances. She also instanced the case of a woman whose daughter had been involuntarily put into a mental institution. The mother wanted to discuss with the doctors her continuing treatment and what would happen to her, but there was no interpreter and she could not follow it. In another case, that of a woman whose parent was dying, the doctors called a family meeting. This woman looked after the parent but there was no interpreter and she could not take part in the meeting.

I pay tribute to students at Bishopstown Community School. They are absolutely marvellous. I received a terrific letter from them, which was really from the heart, about the number of deaf people and the fact there is only one interpreter for every 643 people. It was signed by a couple of hundred signatures. This is wonderful. It shows the genuine decent support of ordinary people for their deaf colleagues.

I very much hope the Bill will pass. It will help people like Mary, a woman who was sent at five years of age to a deaf school and came back when she was 22 to a little farm in the midlands. For four years, she had no social interaction whatever until somebody who had been at the school with her invited her to a party. Her parents did not want to go because they were afraid for her safety. She went and met other young people there. All of these people will be helped by the Bill. I congratulate Senator Daly and the deaf community. It is a good day for Ireland that we will pass the Bill this afternoon.