Malta Deaf Association warns of collapse of sign language interpreting services

The Malta Deaf People Association has warned that the sign language interpreting service is in danger of collapsing entirely unless a financing agreement is reached.

The deaf community in Malta will be denied access to education, hospital services, the justice system and any number of other social interactions unless the government addresses the problem of service provision.

The small, resourceless NGO has struggled to provide this service ever since it employed an interpreter in 2000.

“A financing agreement, which the Association was reluctant to sign in the first place in 2011, and which has manifestly proved itself to be unworkable, as well as unethical, came to an end in December 2013,” said a committee representative.

“As an emergency measure, the agreement was extended up to March but even so, no solution was found.”

The Maltese government is a signatory to and has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), thus making professional sign language interpretation, and other services, an undeniable right.

The Association is making an appeal to any human rights lawyers to contact it and help rectify the situation.