The biggest barrier for people with hearing impairments is communication and thus access to information.
Interview with Sabrina Collé, management representative at HörgeschädigtenBeratung
Ms Collé, thank you for your time. For our readers who are not familiar with HörgeschädigtenBeratung, could you briefly introduce your service?
HörgeschädigtenBeratung is a social counselling centre specifically for people with hearing impairments. Any hearing-impaired person who lives and/or works in Luxembourg can use the services of HörgeschädigtenBeratung. We support and advise people in social and employment matters, for example on issues relating to health checks, finances or job hunting. We also advise and inform family members, institutions and interested parties about the situation and communication of people with hearing impairments. Our team also includes a sign language interpreter and a speech-to-text interpreter. Institutions that want to make their events accessible to people with hearing impairments are welcome to contact us to organise interpreting services. We also offer training and awareness-raising courses. Further information is available on our website.
One of OSAPS' missions is to raise awareness among economic actors about the importance of accessibility. What recurring barriers do hearing-impaired counsellors encounter in their daily work?
The biggest barrier for people with hearing impairments is communication and thus access to information. Many everyday situations are difficult for them because public institutions, websites, ATMs and other digital services are often not completely accessible.
In addition, there is often no option to contact a service in writing. As many people with hearing impairments are unable to use the telephone, or can only do so to a limited extent, this means that they are unable to carry out certain everyday tasks independently.
Visual cues are also often neglected. Announcements on public transport, in shops or hospitals are usually only available in audio form. In hospitals, patients are often called via the loudspeaker system, which is usually too quiet and is drowned out by background noise. Many people with hearing impairments cannot hear their name and miss important information.
Technical aids such as induction loops or hearing helps are also lacking in banks, government offices, clinics and at cash registers.
Another problem is the lack of awareness among staff. Employees usually do not know how to respond appropriately to people with hearing impairments. Important measures include speaking slowly and clearly, maintaining eye contact, confirming information in writing and not covering the mouth so that those affected can lip-read.
In addition, access to up-to-date information is difficult. News, newspaper articles or public announcements are often too complicated or not accessible. This can lead to content being misunderstood or important information being missed.
Online forms and digital content are also often too complicated and difficult to understand, meaning that people with hearing impairments cannot always use them independently. In addition, some forms or information are only available in one language, often French, even though many people do not use this language. This makes access to services even more difficult.
These barriers not only lead to limited independence, but also to social isolation, as people with hearing impairments can only participate in meetings, events or group discussions if these are adapted and technical aids such as induction loops or human assistance such as sign language interpreters and speech-to-text interpreters are available. Sign language interpreters are very important in this context, but not all deaf people use German Sign Language (DGS). That is why speech-to-text interpreters are also useful.
How do you envisage the collaboration between the hearing impairment advisory service and OSAPS?
It is important for us to have a contact person in the area of accessibility of products and services. If we encounter barriers in our work with those affected, we can discuss them with OSAPS and find out whether they fall within OSAPS's area of responsibility or not. There are still many barriers, not only for people with hearing impairments but also for other people, so it is important to have a point of contact that can take up the concerns of those affected and work across the board to improve accessibility.
Finally, what are your hopes for the future in general when it comes to accessibility?
My wish for the future is that we all continue to work together towards a barrier-free world and build on the work that has already been done. In recent years, the issue of accessibility has become more central to society, partly due to the establishment of specialised services such as Osaps and Akzent. We must continue to keep this issue at the forefront.
Thank you very much for this brief conversation.
HörgeschädigtenBeratung SmH
Maison Greisch
166, rue de Beggen
L-1220 Luxembourg
Tel: 26521460
Copyright: HörgeschädigtenBeratung
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