European Parliament resolution of 23 November 2016 on sign languages and professional sign language interpreters (2016/2952(RSP))

European Parliament resolution of 23 November 2016 on sign languages and professional sign language interpreters (2016/2952(RSP))

The European Parliament,

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Employment, education and training

18.  Notes that reasonable accommodation measures, which include the provision of professional sign language interpreters, must be taken to ensure equal access to employment, education and training;

19.  Highlights that balanced and holistic information on sign language and what it means to be deaf must be provided so that parents can make informed choices in the best interest of their children;

20.  Stresses that early intervention programmes are crucial for children in the development of life skills, including language skills; notes, furthermore, that those programmes should ideally include deaf role models;

21.  Emphasises that deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing students and their parents must be provided with the opportunity to learn the national or regional sign language of their environment through pre-school services and in schools(27) ;

22.  Emphasises that sign language should be included in educational curricula in order to raise awareness and increase the use of sign language;

23.  Underlines that measures must be taken to recognise and promote the linguistic identity of deaf communities(28) ;

24.  Calls on the Member States to encourage the learning of sign language in the same way as foreign languages;

25.  Stresses that qualified sign language interpreters and teaching staff competent in sign language and equipped with the skills to work effectively in bilingual inclusive education environments form an essential part of deaf children’s and young adults’ academic achievement, resulting in higher educational outcomes and lower unemployment rates in the long term;

26.  Highlights the widespread lack of sign bilingual textbooks and learning materials in accessible formats and languages;

27.  Urges that the principle of freedom of movement for deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing people within the EU be guaranteed, especially in the context of Erasmus+ and related mobility programmes, by ensuring that participants are not disproportionately burdened with having to take care of their own interpreting arrangements;

28.  Welcomes the European Disability Card Pilot Project; regrets the exclusion of sign language interpretation in the project as this significantly hinders the freedom of movement of deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing workers and students within the EU;

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