DEPUTIES from five parties have joined forces in a bid to push through two bills that would at long last establish sign language as an officially recognised form of communication in Cyprus.
The first bill, tabled in Parliament last Thursday, would facilitate communication with the deaf in the public service, while also opening up the possibility of hiring deaf people.
For that to happen, sign language would need to be acknowledged as a form of communication by the government – meaning that knowledge of sign language would become an additional job qualification for employees in the public service who deal with the deaf.
And, given deaf people are the most proficient in this special form of communication, they would for the first time be eligible to work in the government.
That at least is the theory. According to Green Party deputy George Perdikis, this campaign has been going on for more than two years now, with lack of interest in the issue being the major stumbling block.
“There are approximately 1,000 people in Cyprus today who use sign language; and though this may not be a huge number, the issue at hand is social and humanitarian,” Perdikis told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
The initiative belongs to Perdikis, Androulla Vassiliou (United Democrats), Antigoni Papadopoulou (DIKO), Katie Clerides (DISY) and Yiannos Lamaris (AKEL). It is hoped that this cross-party alliance of forces will marshal the necessary support in Parliament finally to enact the legislation.
Moreover, a separate bill would oblige all national television networks to carry a dedicated news bulletin in sign language once a day. The bulletins – in full screen, as opposed to occupying a small window – would be at least five minutes long, and would be shown any time between midday and midnight, though preferably at prime time.
Currently all major networks feature a sign language bulletin on their 6pm, but with the communicator inside a small box alongside the anchor in the main window.
In addition, the draft legislation calls for larger fonts in subtitles, enabling both deaf people and those with reduced eyesight comfortably to read their television screens.
The bill is highly specific in this regard, saying that the size of the subtitles should be at “at least one-thirtieth of the height of the viewing area.”
Asked when parliament was expected to approve the bill, Perdikis was cautious.
“Let’s hope that this time round it won’t take two years for this to become reality,” he remarked.
On paper, the bill stipulates that the Cabinet must determine exactly how the recognition of sign language will be put to practical use in the public service; and that this should be accomplished no longer than six months after the law enters into force.
Sign language proficiency certificates will be issued by the Sign Language Committee, which belongs to the Pancyprian Organisation for the Deaf.
