More information
Description
According to research conducted in the Deaf Have Vote project (2016) and the Polish Association of the Deaf figures, a vast majority (84%) of deaf people say that they do not know their civil rights, including those under the Sign Language Act, are not involved in social matters in their town, do not feel independent, are forced to seek help from relatives when dealing with civic administrative matters, have significant deficiencies with regard to social abilities, and have limited access to legal representation. The project aims to improve quality of life of deaf people by more effectively getting them involved in community life and making them more effective in exercising their civil rights, and rights under the law. By making use of current social media and communication tools, we will set up a television channel to provide, to suplement the information in the media available to this group with information on local matters and current issues relating to activity of deaf people communities. It will be created by volunteers, for whom we will provide training in journalism. We will organize a series of eight debates broadcast online, on the subject of the daily lives of deaf people: sport, culture, education, public information, communication, participation in local democracy, access to sign language, and the labor market. We will provide advice on legal and civil issues, and training on self-advocate community skills. The project will help to improve the knowledge of a minimum of 200 deaf people of public and civil matters, to defend and ensure respect for deaf people''s rights, and to develop self-advocacy approaches for 60 people with hearing impairments.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the problem of exclusion and discrimination of Deaf people and their consequent low participation in public life. The vast majority of Deaf people (84%) report a lack of knowledge about their civil rights, including those under the Sign Language Act. Social infrastructure and services are not adapted to the needs of Deaf people. The sign language interpretation is still rare. Until recently, only 1/4 of the websites of public institutions met accessibility standards for people with disabilities (the situation improved after the Digital Accessibility Act came into force). Deaf people have limited opportunities to participate in the social affairs of their own community; they are often treated as dependent and have to rely on family assistance to deal with civic matters.
The project launched a regional TV channel for the Deaf community in Malopolska. The channel was co-hosted by people who had previously taken part in a journalism training course. The TV material produced covered current issues and problems in the everyday life of the Deaf community, events involving the Deaf community and the activities of the project promoter''s local circles in Malopolska. A series of 8 debates were organised and broadcast online; the topics of the debates included education and accessibility. Deaf people benefited from legal and civic advice (106 hours) as well as training in social skills and self-advocacy. Five meetings were also held with so-called Ambassadors of Success, i.e. Deaf people who have been successful in socio-professional activities.
Thanks to the project, the Deaf community in Malopolska has gained a new information channel that focuses on the needs and experiences of Deaf people. Deaf people have improved their competences and skills in various areas: journalistic work, self-advocacy, social participation. The project''s activities contributed to raising awareness of the rights of Deaf people and had a positive impact on their social activism.