Signed, sealed, delivered: South Australian Auslan policy
01/07/2015
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent – Media release
Dignity for Disability has welcomed the State Government’s announcement today that sign language interpretation will now be an integral part of TV broadcasts related to emergency situations.
An amendment has been made to the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) to ensure that there is an obligation to provide Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpretation during official televised announcements
The change comes after significant lobbying by Dignity for Disability in cooperation with the Deaf community, and legislation put forward by Party Leader, Kelly Vincent. Ms Vincent said the aim is to ensure that interpreters are provided consistently.
Following the Sampson Flat bushfires advocates told me they were worried that interpreters were present at some of the media conferences held by the Government about the fires, but not others,” says Kelly Vincent.
Dignity for Disability believes consistency is vital to make sure that everyone gets the information they need to stay informed and safe during emergency situations like bushfire and floods. That’s why we put draft legislation to Parliament. The State Government indicated its support for a policy change in the SEMP, rather than legislation. This will still have the same outcome as legislation. Dignity for Disability is very happy with this result.
It is estimated that about 7000 Australians use Auslan to communicate every day as a primary language, and that around 82% of all Deaf Australians regularly use Auslan, so it is vital that we ensure equality.”
Ms Vincent said there is also a need for increased training of interpreters and media personnel.”Auslan interpreters have told me that they want more understanding of the wording used by emergency services personnel, so that they can interpret it accurately. We also need to train people like camera operators so that they know not to cut the interpreter out of the frame, as has happened previously.”
Ms Vincent said that it is clear from Dignity for Disability’s consultation that Auslan is not the only way to ensure equal access to emergency information.
There are other examples. We also need to increase our use of captions – not only for people who may not hear now but for people who will develop hearing loss with age. I also heard that there is a need for information in plain language and Easy English for people with different literacy skills. We will keep lobbying on these. But for now, we thank the Government for its cooperation and the community – particularly the Deaf community – for working with us,” said Ms Vincent.
