Call to engage interpreters

THE Morobe Deaf Education Society is calling on the Government to ensure sign language interpreters are attached to all public schools throughout the country.
Society chairman Foreting Yuoneve and programme coordinator Gabriel Daniel said the lack of sign language interpreters in public schools showed ignorance for the hearing and speech impaired population.
They said this problem has gone for too long in this country.
Both men were born normal but after taking medicine during their childhood for malaria, their hearing and speech were affected.
While Gabriel’s case was not badly affected, Foreting, however, had to leave school at grade eight in 1988, as learning became too difficult without a sign language interpreter. Foreting and Gabriel said they had not seen effort put into filling this gap in the education system since their time.
“I did not get the opportunity to complete my education and see how my life may have turned out,” Foreting said through Gabriel who translated. That’s why I want interpreters to be included in all public schools now, so that current generation of hearing and speech impaired may have a fair opportunity,” he said.
Gabriel said another concern was the people living with disabilities in rural areas.