As part of the International Day of Deaf People and Sign Languages ​​(September 23-28), the Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Genard Joseph, had an important meeting on Monday, September 16, with several deaf people from the Organization for the Defense of the Rights of the Deaf.

The Secretary of State expressed his desire to establish a good relationship between the Office he heads and deaf people. Furthermore, he informed his interlocutors of his determination to have sign language recognized as a national language, while promising to work to improve the living conditions of deaf people.

For their part, some people living with this hearing impairment took advantage of this meeting to explain to the Secretary of State the various difficulties they encounter on a daily basis.

Extracts from their speeches as well as that of Genard Joseph :

Following recent meetings with various associations of deaf people, concrete actions have been considered to promote their inclusion in Haitian society.

These discussions highlighted several challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in the areas of access to education, public services and employment. In order to address these concerns, the following measures were defined :

• Increase accessibility to education for deaf people, particularly by facilitating the learning and use of sign language in educational institutions ;

• Facilitate the establishment of sign language interpretation services in public institutions, particularly health centres and administrative offices, to enable better communication with deaf citizens ;

• Raise awareness among the population about the rights of deaf people and the importance of their inclusion in all aspects of social life, through national awareness campaigns ;

• Encourage continued collaboration with deaf people's associations to ensure their active involvement in the development of public policies and to ensure that their needs are effectively taken into account.

TB/ HaitiLibre