Time to change attitudes

Hearing children often have to take on huge tasks to help parents and siblings, reports Sheila Wayman

WHEN AMANDA Dunne was a young child, she would often pray at bedtime that she would be deaf when she woke up in the morning.

"Up to about the age of 12, I really wanted to be deaf like everyone else," she says. Her parents, Brenda and Eugene, are deaf, as is her only sibling, Darren.

From the day she was born, Dunne was learning to communicate with her immediate family through Irish Sign Language (ISL).

Having hearing grandparents helped her to pick up spoken English, although she was referred to a speech therapist when she started school: "They noticed I was not pronouncing things the right way." But she says that not all hearing children of deaf parents would have that problem.

Growing up in Rialto, Dublin, she does not believe she had a radically different childhood from her friends.

"The only thing I would have noticed was that my parents had a lot more difficulties with everyday things.

"Not through any fault of their own, but because of the attitude of the wider community."

She found it hurtful that people would presume her parents were stupid.

"It can be upsetting for a kid if people are disrespectful to your parents and if you see your parents being treated as different. It still happens today," says Dunne (26) who has just qualified as a professional ISL interpreter after a two-year course at Trinity College.

As the only hearing member of the family, she was inevitably called on as a child to interpret using ISL for her parents, sometimes in far from appropriate circumstances.

It was not that her parents wanted her to do it, but often there was no choice.

At school in Loreto Crumlin, she turned this to her advantage at parent-teacher meetings.

"When the teacher said 'Amanda is not being very good', I'd say: 'She says I'm great.' They copped on to that soon enough."

As an adult, it can still be difficult. At the end of last year, her father had a heart attack at home, and was admitted to hospital for a week.

"I was pulled in to interpret for him," she says, and the medical staff did not seem to consider for a moment that it might not be appropriate to use his daughter, who was going through her own emotions.

"I was all over the place. I never thought to ask for an interpreter," she says.

But she finds it "really infuriating" that hospitals will provide interpreters of foreign languages, but are very reluctant to pay for ISL interpreters. If a deaf person asks for an interpreter, she says, the attitude is "they are Irish, can't they write it down?"

Willy White, a hearing son of two deaf parents, says he and his five siblings had to communicate on their parents' behalf when growing up in Tralee, Co Kerry, more than 30 years ago. At that time there were no ISL interpreters around.

"As a child you took on responsibility at a very early age. It was a burden you are socially and linguistically not equipped to carry," says White, who is an ISL interpreter.

He set up the Kerry Deaf Resource Centre in 1999 when, despite the legislative improvements for the deaf community through the Equal Status Act and Disability Act, there was very little happening on the ground.

"I wanted to change that," he says.

White believes there is still a lack of awareness of the obligation to provide support for deaf people.

He was talking to a neurosurgeon recently who thought it was "brilliant" that the seven-year-old child of a deaf patient was able to come in and interpret through ISL.

"You can't have a seven-year-old child interpreting at a neurosurgical appointment," says White. "And this is an intelligent guy. There is a naivety out there in many ways."

Tue, Sep 02, 2008. © 2008 The Irish Times

Only 25% of firms take on disabled graduates

JUST ONE-in-four businesses employs a graduate with a disability, a new survey has found. This is despite the number of third-level students with a disability having tripled in the last 12 years, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (Ahead) revealed yesterday.

Half of the 300 employers surveyed by TNS/MRBI had interviewed a candidate with a disability. However, almost three-quarters of employers believed a job candidate should tell an employer if they had a disability.

Three-quarters of employers had not had any disability training, and 45 per cent did not understand that reasonable accommodation can include the use of a sign-language interpreter.

"Employers fear some sort of reprisal if they 'get it wrong' when recruiting or employing a graduate with disabilities," said Ann Heelan, executive director of Ahead. "They are worried about legislation, their own knowledge of disabilities and how to manage them, and productivity levels," she added.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 © 2008 The Irish Times

2003 Special Olympics: Deaf people’s group criticises facilities at Games

Thursday, June 26, 2003 :

A DEAF people’s group has harshly criticised the organisers of the Special Olympics for not doing enough to cater for their needs in the opening ceremony.

The Irish Deaf Society said the provision of a designated box area with a sign language interpreter for the duration of the ceremony was only agreed at short notice and was really a half-measure.

The society’s administrator, Cormac Leonard, said he was hoping mistakes made by the organising committee would be corrected in time for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.

Special Olympics spokesperson, Julian Davis, said they had all major speeches signed on the screen behind the stage. Signing of the music and any other words spoken was available within two of the corporate boxes if needed. A fax and mobile number was given out for anyone who wanted to have sign interpretation throughout the entire three-hour event. Mr Davis said six people availed of the service.

The Irish Deaf Society had accepted the arrangement as a good solution but complained that it segregated them from the rest of the 75,000 spectators.

Mr Davis said they had tried to cater for everybody but it was not possible to have a perfect solution for every situation.

Mr Davis said he had originally thought that they could have 100% signing on the stage and that this would be satisfactory but that proved not to be the case.

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2003/06/26/story915562675.asp

Lisa Dunne - ISL Interpreter in Irish Independent

Two worlds collide: A wider knowledge of sign language would make life a whole lot easier for the thousands of profoundly deaf people in this country

By Sue Leonard, Irish Independent, Monday September 01 2008

(Click above link for all the article)

...Lisa Dunne, 24, doesn't remember when she realised that her family was 'different'. An only child of deaf parents, known as a CODA, Lisa was always mixing with her extended family, many of whom are also deaf.

"My dad has two deaf brothers," says Lisa. "One has two children, one is deaf and one hearing, and the other brother has seven children, two hearing and five deaf. We are all very close."
Lisa used sign language to communicate with her parents. She learned it from them naturally, but was it tough, having to do all the talking for her parents?

"Being between the two worlds, these worlds that did not 'get' each other, could be hard," she says. "You are a kind of mediator. It was difficult sometimes, but it wasn't traumatic. I just went with it.

"It's not a strain at the time, but it can be inappropriate," she says. "I would have known bank and insurance details, and my parent's medical details. It is better, if possible, that parents do not always rely on a child to interpret. But often they don't have a choice."

After a year at college studying International Event Management, Lisa realised that the career was not for her. So she studied ISL at Trinity College Dublin, gaining an accreditation to work for a government agency as a freelance sign-language interpreter.

Rewarding
"I love my job," she says. "It takes me everywhere in the country. I might be at a business meeting, at a conference, or in a college signing to a deaf student from the front of the lecture hall," she says.

"It can be rewarding, but some deaf people go through hard times. And because we have to be neutral, there is not a lot we can do at the time. That can be frustrating."
What was it like, though, being brought up in a quiet home?

"Well we still had rows," she says. "We'd become really animated. The best thing, though, was when my friends stayed over. If we came in late we could make as much noise as we liked. My house was really popular!" she laughs.

- Sue Leonard

Interpreting for the IDS Thailand Trek

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, here's an article from the Fingal Independent about the Irish Deaf Society Thailand trek on which I was one of the interpreters. (Oh, also, i didn't tell them i was a 'deaf interpreter'!)

There are also lots of other accounts of the Trek in the most recent Irish Deaf News.

More Resources for Interpreters

Found two new internet resources to do with interpreting.

Interpreter Training Resources: The only dedicated site for students of conference interpreting is a good site, primarily geared towards spoken language conference interpreting but also maybe of interest if interpreter training is your bag.

ProZ.com: The Translation Workplace is again a site more geared towards translators of spoken language and requires a lot of entry of your own info before you can get started but if you're looking to achieve a higher worldwide profile for yourself or your agency - give it a try.

The translation workplace

Arranging for Sign Language Interpretation Abroad: A Disability Service Provider Perspective

Disability services offices across the [USA] are asking themselves whether or not to provide accommodations for Deaf students who hope to travel abroad through educational exchange programs. After the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ruled that Arizona State University did not have to provide interpreter services for a Deaf student who wanted to attend University College in Cork, Ireland, in January 2002, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported, “Advocates for students with disabilities say the decision… could cause some colleges to begin denying many students accommodations when they want to study overseas.”*. However, the Arizona case remains one ruling among several regarding overseas accommodations, leaving the educational community with lingering questions.

Read the rest of this article here or here.

Irish Times - Deaf woman contests jury exclusion

Deaf woman contests jury exclusion


A DEAF mother of two has brought a landmark legal action against the Courts Service and the State challenging her exclusion from jury service on grounds of her deafness.

Joan Clarke says she should not be deemed ineligible for jury service merely because she is deaf, and that any such exclusion is discriminatory and in breach of various provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003.

She wants to perform “this important civic duty” on the same basis as everyone else and was frustrated at not being allowed to when she was summoned for jury service before Galway Circuit Court in April 2006 but was subsequently excused from serving, apparently on grounds of her deafness, Ms Clarke said.

She is entitled to be facilitated to serve on a jury by means of a sign language interpreter, she contends. Gerard Hogan SC, for Ms Clarke, argued the fact she is deaf should not mean she is automatically excluded from jury service and there was no justification for such a blanket exclusion.

The real issue, under the Juries Act 1976, is whether she is “incapable” of serving and that issue should be decided judicially in open court and not decided administratively, he said.
Ms Clarke, identified as a homemaker, of Hassling, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co Galway, and her husband were in court yesterday for the opening of her action before Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe.

The proceedings were signed for Ms Clarke and other deaf persons in court by two sign language interpreters.

The case has been brought against the Galway County Registrar, the Courts Service, Ireland and the Attorney General, with the Human Rights Commission as a notice party.

Ms Clarke is represented by the Free Legal Advice Centres. In opposing the action, the State denies the claims of unconstitutionality or breaches of the ECHR Act 2003. It says that, under the Juries Act, Ms Clarke is ineligible for jury service due to the “permanent infirmity of deafness” and denies that Ms Clarke is entitled to have appropriate arrangements made to accommodate her deafness and enable her serve as a juror.

Among other arguments, the State contends the presence of a sign language interpreter in a jury room would breach the “absolute confidentiality” of jury discussions.

In an affidavit on behalf of Ms Clarke, Evelyn Conroy, chairwoman of the Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters, said all practising interpreters must be members of that body, which has a code of practice and of ethics.



Judgment reserved in deaf woman's challenge to State's bar on jury duty

THE HIGH Court has reserved judgment on a landmark legal challenge by a deaf mother of two to her being excused from jury service apparently on grounds of her deafness.

Joan Clarke says she should not be deemed ineligible for jury service merely because she is deaf and that any such exclusion is discriminatory and in breach of various provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Act 2003.

The real issue, under the Juries Act 1976, is whether she is “incapable” of serving and that issue should be decided judicially in open court and not decided administratively, she said.

Ms Clarke says she wants to perform “this important civic duty” on the same basis as everyone else and was frustrated at not being allowed to when summoned for jury service before Galway Circuit Court in April 2006, but was subsequently, against her wishes, excused from serving apparently on grounds of her deafness. She is entitled to be facilitated to serve on a jury by means of a sign language interpreter, she claims.

Ms Clarke, a homemaker, Ashlawn, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co Galway, has been deaf since birth. Her husband is also deaf and they have two hearing children.

Represented by the Free Legal Advice Centres, she brought her action against the Galway County Registrar, the Courts Service and the State with the Human Rights Commission as a notice party.

The three-day hearing concluded this week before Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe who reserved his decision.

The proceedings were signed for Ms Clarke and other deaf persons in court by two sign language interpreters.

The State has denied the claims of unconstitutionality or breaches of the ECHR Act 2003. It argued that, under the Juries Act, Ms Clarke is ineligible for jury service due to the “permanent infirmity of deafness” and denies that Ms Clarke is entitled to have appropriate arrangements made to accommodate her deafness and enable her serve as a juror.

Sign a song:Interpreter conveys music visually

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/08/sign-a-song/

Unlike most members of music groups, Shirley Childress doesn't play an instrument or sing. In fact, when she performs with her ensemble - hometown favorites Sweet Honey in the Rock - she remains cloaked in silence.

Shirley Childress interprets the music of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock through sign language.

Miss Childress delivers her part of the harmony using only her hands, her body, her face - and yet, the impact of her storytelling is no less profound than that of her louder counterparts. To some people, her performances are the sun around which everything else onstage circles.

The performer who possesses this rare skill is a sign-language interpreter who proudly "sings" in the key of A: American Sign Language, accessibility and, not least of all, artistry.

The child of deaf parents, Miss Childress learned sign language early. "My parents used to sing," she says, leaning over a steaming cup of mint tea at Busboys & Poets restaurant in Northwest. "My mom would break out into song in a minute. She sang, but in sign language."

The performer recalls with glee the road trips her family took when she was a child and the ever-graceful gestures her mother would make from her passenger-seat vantage point.

"Beautiful mountains and rivers," Miss Childress says, while her hands carve out a delicate poem in the air, her long-sleeved white blouse sighing. This is the way her mother used to do it - her mother, who once, in church, moved a man to tears with her sign-language rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

In 1980, the younger Miss Childress got the opportunity to touch hearts with her own hands when she received an invitation to join Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all-female black a cappella ensemble that was looking to expand the reach of its spiritual, social-justice-seeking message.

At the time, Miss Childress had years of experience working as a freelance sign-language interpreter and lots of exposure to "signed song" via her parents. But standing up onstage, using her hands to weave a complex mix of words, melodies and meanings into one cohesive silent show? This was a new bag.

Interpreting a music concert isn't a cut-and-dried, word-to-word job. It's more like translating a great piece of literature. There are countless choices to make, and each has a consequence. Word choice, rhythm, facial expression, body language and movement, how much and what type of background is provided on the song and the songwriter - all of these factors contribute to the audience's understanding and enjoyment.

Sweet Honey in the Rock includes (from the left) Shirley Childress, Aisha Kahlil, Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Casel and Ysaye Maria Barnwell. Miss Childress (also below left) is the group's sign-language interpreter. (Sharon Farmer/SFPhotoworks)

Like any expressive art form, the interpretation of music inevitably is highly subjective.

"If you look at a song like 'Stairway to Heaven,' if you give it to four different interpreters, you're going to see four different versions," says Justin Brown, cultural-access program manager at Silver Spring's Sign Language Associates Inc., a company that provides interpretation for more than 200 performing-arts events each year around the District.

To be good, interpreters must have not just sign-language know-how, but also confidence, stage presence, good judgment about what information to relay and the self-restraint to serve as a conduit rather than an attention hog.

"Sometimes you hear a piece of music, and the song or the lyrics might be nothing special," says Tom McGillis, principal sign-language interpreter for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. "But the music just really hits you in some way; it's so incredibly beautiful, so incredibly moving. ... I have to get that hearing-impaired person to in some way experience that, too. If I just say what [the singers] are saying, they might as well just have captioning up onstage."

Nearly 30 years after teaming up with Sweet Honey, Miss Childress is quite adept at leading deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members into a sonic world they otherwise might not be able to enter. She is an artist painting ever-changing landscapes with disappearing ink, and somehow, the overall picture - the sum of her every twisting, slicing, sweeping or stuttering brushstroke - gleams brightly when the song has stilled.

"I get excited about what I do," she says. "It's more than a paycheck."

The relationship between Miss Childress and Sweet Honey - in which the sign-language interpreter is an integrated performer who regularly rehearses with the group - is fairly unusual. Austin City Limits, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and some of the other major music shindigs regularly use interpreters, and other, more local music venues bring them in when requested by a ticket holder. (The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 requires organizations to provide "access" upon request.) In contrast to people like Ms. Childress, however, these sign-language experts typically have just weeks to learn an artist's catalog and style, which can limit their confidence and familiarity with the material.

So why isn't sign-language interpretation a more integral part of the concert world? Because it hasn't been historically; because sometimes artists worry about the cost and possible distraction; because many people question whether deaf and hard-of-hearing people would even want to attend a sound-based event.

Artists like Ms. Childress and Mr. McGillis argue that everyone should have the option to tap into music's power and beauty if they choose - and rather than drawing money and attention away from their respective groups, these performers bring added value.

"It's not intended to ... help your bottom line," says Kevin Dyels, director of talent acquisition at Sign Language Associates.

"It's part of a celebration of life," Ms. Childress says.

Gardai spent €3 million on interpreters last year

Gardai spent €3 million on interpreters last year
Sunday, August 10, 2008 - By Susan Mitchell

The Garda Siochána spent almost €3 million on interpreters last year, as the number of immigrants requiring translators continued to grow.

The Garda deals with over 200 languages and dialects on a regular basis. Between 30 and 40 companies provided interpretation services to the Garda last year, a spokesman said.

The Garda recently issued a tender for the contract, which is the biggest public sector interpreting contract in the state.

‘‘We are in the process of awarding tenders at the moment, which are at the valuation stage, and these contracts are expected to be awarded by the end of the year,” said a spokesman.

However, the Irish Translators and Interpreters Association (ITIA) said it was hugely concerned at the quality of the service being provided to major state bodies.

Mary Phelan, secretary of the ITIA, claimed that the quality of interpretation work being carried out for major public sector bodies was often inadequate.

A number of agencies rejected charges regarding the quality of interpreting services provided to the state. They claimed they provided extensive and ongoing training, and regularly monitored satisfaction levels.

‘‘There are no controls in place to ensure a quality service is being delivered. There is an assumption that anyone who is bilingual can interpret. That is not the case, and specialised vocabulary is often needed, particularly in a courtroom setting,” said Phelan.

The contracts to translate for the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Courts Service and the Garda are the biggest public sector translation contracts in the country.

Together, the three bodies had an annual bill of about €5.75 million in 2007.

The HSE spent €750,000 on interpreting in 2007. It has a list of preferred providers that it issues to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The Courts Service has a contract with Lionbridge, a multinational company with an office in Dublin. The Courts Service spent more than €2 million on interpreting last year, and expects to spend €2.5 million this year.

Phelan said many translators, some of whom have degrees in translation, were not prepared to work for the low rates in Ireland.

The sector is awaiting the results of a €100,000 study on interpreters for the public service, carried out by consultants Farrell Grant Sparks.

Sunday Business Post, 10^th August 2008