Slovak sign language interpreters often stood next to the Prime Minister and epidemiologists when they informed the public about the Coronavirus Pandemic and the imposing measures.
“Only now, during the coronavirus pandemic and interpretation of press briefings, we better understand what obstacles – though in access to the most basic information – people who are deaf or other disabilities encounter,” said Radoslav Kutaš, the Culture Ministry’s State Secretary.
Slovak sign language was officially codified on September 23 and acknowledged as an official language, the SME reported.
“This moment is a significant step on the path to the inclusion of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, either within education, culture, or other fields,” said ombudswoman Mária Patakyová.
She added that it is a big help in increasing the quality of all the spheres of deaf and hard of hearing citizens’ lives.
The government pledged in its programme statement that it would support a culture without barriers. The standardisation of Slovak sign language was one of its promises.
“We who can hear are often not aware of the significance of sign language for people with hearing disabilities in their everyday life,” Kutaš noted.
