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Description
In Poland there are at least 40,000 deaf people who use Polish sign Language to communicate (Equality principle Law and Practice no. 13, Commissioner for Human Rights). A vast majority are represented by people with normal hearing or hearing impaired. During a large number of conferences concerning disability or accessibility, people who use Polish sign language are not visible. Deaf people are rarely policymakers in community organizations, and even in the Polish Board of Sign Language they are in the minority. Policymakers with normal hearing do not use or have poor knowledge of Polish sign language, resulting in a tendency for deaf people to be left out of tasks about which opinions have to be expressed. The project addresses the problem of deaf people not being sufficiently represented in groups dealing with matters that concern them. We will set up a network of deaf self-advocates (who use Polish sign language) - leaders of the community from all over Poland. We will create a Deaf Persons Council. Deaf people will conduct by themselves accessibility audits in the various fields they encounter daily, identify legal barriers, and recommend solutions. They will test 10 currently existing deaf people solutions designated for deaf people. Self-advocates will also issue opinions on the measures currently being taken by various institutions for deaf people and declare needs, issue opinions on legislative proposals, and take part in public consultations. 15 deaf people will take part in the self-advocacy measures. A report will be produced on monitoring, giving the findings of a review of legislation in Poland and of an audit in various spheres of community life. The creation of the network of deaf activists will mean that deaf people play a greater role in public consultations at local and equally at nationwide level (minimum of 10 opinions).
Summary of project results
The project responds to the problem of insufficient representation of Deaf people in bodies dealing with their issues. There are at least 40,000 deaf people in Poland who communicate using Polish Sign Language - PSL (Ombudsman). They are overwhelmingly represented by people who are hearing or hard of hearing. PSL speakers are not seen at disability or accessibility conferences. The lack of qualified PSL interpreters and translators is also a problem. Deaf people tend not to be decision-makers in community organisations working for this group - they are also a minority in the Polish Sign Language Council. Hearing decision makers do not use PSL or use it at a basic level, which contributes to Deaf people being pushed away from tasks or being taken care of by hearing people (assistants), which in turn leads to a lack of independence, agency or influence.
The project initiated a network of over a dozen Deaf activists and PSL users - community leaders from across Poland. A Deaf Council was formed, which independently audited the accessibility of various areas of life, tested current solutions for deaf people, identified legal barriers and prepared recommendations for solutions. The Council was also involved in commenting on the activities of various institutions for the deaf and reporting needs, commenting on draft legislation and participating in public consultations. Eleven proposals in the form of resolutions were prepared and drafted (e.g. on the standard of teacher training, on the accessibility of the Warning and Information System, on the functioning of the Communication Centre, on the use of medical certificates when applying for funding for PSL interpreters). In addition, a monitoring report was produced, containing the results of a review of legislation in Poland and an audit carried out by the Council.
The project was an important step in strengthening the voice and influence of the Deaf community in decisions that affect their lives. By involving Deaf people as self-advocates - leaders of their community - it was possible to successfully identify and propose solutions to the main problems facing this social group. An important outcome of the work of the Deaf Council was the drafting of 11 proposals in the form of resolutions, as well as its numerous and active participation in various public consultations and conferences. The translation of the report into PSL is an important step towards removing communication barriers and promoting equal access to information for deaf people. An important outcome of the project is the increased visibility, independence and sense of empowerment of the members of the Council of the Deaf.