A sign language interpreter could soon be a new addition at all government press conferences and meetings. All ministries have been asked this month to implement this soon, News18 has learnt.
Sign language interpreters can be seen at press conferences in Western countries. Incidentally, this is a mandatory requirement under The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, in India as well but is rarely followed in practice.
“The Act mandates the appropriate Government to create a barrier free environment for persons with disabilities in physical infrastructure, transport, information and communication technology and other facilities and services. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the Government to ensure that all public information relating to each sector is accessible to all categories of the persons with disabilities including persons with hearing impairment,” secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Anjali Bhawra wrote to all ministries on June 2. News18 has a copy of the letter.
She added that since sign language is one of the preferred modes of communication for persons with hearing impairment, “it will be in the proper fitness of things for making provisions of sign language interpretation in every meeting/seminar/workshop including press briefing, being organized by the Ministries/Departments/their organizations.”
The letter further says that a letter asking for the same was sent to all ministries in 2018 by her predecessor and another was written by social justice and empowerment minister Dr Virendra Kumar to all ministers in October last year.
“I shall be grateful if you kindly issue appropriate instructions to all concerned including the organizations under your administrative control to ensure availability of sign language interpretation during meetings/seminars/workshops/press briefings. Action taken in this regard may kindly be intimated to this Department,” Bhawra has written.
To guide the ministries, Bhawra has said that the government has set up the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) for the purpose of promoting the use of this nonverbal communication in the country.
“The Ministries/Departments may take technical support of this Institute for the provisioning of Sign Language interpretation at their meetings/seminars workshops/press briefings,” her letter has said.
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