Judge Declares Canada Must Offer Services in Sign Language

In Canada, all government services must be provided in sign language thanks to a new court decision. Before, if deaf and hard of hearing people wanted a sign language interpreter to access governmental services, they had to pay for the interpreter themselves.

The decision is a victory for Canada’s 300,000 deaf and hard of hearing people and the Canadian Association of the Deaf. The Canadian Association of the Deaf said that deaf people should be able to access sign language the same way that hearing people access English or French—for free.

Justice Mosley of the Federal Court agreed. “As Canadians, deaf persons are entitled to be full participants in the democratic process …,” Mosley wrote. His decision was announced last August.

Scott Simser, the lawyer for the Canadian Association of the Deaf, hailed the decision a big victory for deaf and hard of hearing people. “From now on we can be equal citizens,” he said. Simser also wants Canada to adopt the sign language of its deaf people as one of its official languages as Great Britain and New Zealand have done.

Sheila Carlin, president of the Canadian Association of the Deaf, acknowledged that interpreters are “very expensive.” Sign language interpreters typically charge between $40 to $60 per hour, and the decision could cost Canadians tens of millions of dollars.

But Carlin stated it’s only fair that the government pay for these costs. “It is important that we all have the full access …,” she said.

- Information from Canadian TV website.