Alternativa Demokratika – The Green Party said that it supports the deaf community which has been officially requesting that programmes hosting political debates on PBS have a Maltese Sign Language interpreter to translate the debated issues for deaf audiences.

The official requests made by Deaf Community many times to the Public Broadcasting Service appealing for a Maltese sign language interpreter on popular programmes are being ignored as is the issue of subtitles during other televised programmes.

Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson, said, “AD endorses the request of the Deaf community for true inclusion in political activities and discussions between political parties by having Maltese Sign Language interpreters. Spokespersons for the Deaf Community have stated that since there is no accessibility for Deaf people due the unavailability of a Maltese Sign Language interpreter, this minority group is not able to keep itself informed and updated about current issues which allow its members to make informed political decisions.”

Dr. Claire Azzopardi Lane, AD Spokesperson for Disability Issues and Sports, added, “Alternativa Demokratika’s manifesto states that changes in the constitution are required so that Maltese Sign Language is recognised as an official language. While the recently ratified United Nations Convention (Article 9) endorses the right to access, Article 29 ensures that Deaf people can participate equally in both political and public life. Furthermore the enforcement of the Equal Opportunities Act (2000) requires that access to information cannot be denied to persons who are Deaf.”

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