A local association has expressed hope that government may provide more support for residents with a hearing disability.
On Sunday, the Macau Deaf Association held an opening ceremony for the International Day of Sign Languages and International Week of Deaf 2022.
“We hope to spread a message of equality and communion to society by holding this activity,” said the association president Wong Kam Sun.
For hearing-impaired persons, Wong said, an inclusive community bridges the gap between them and those without hearing impairment, enabling them to further participate in society.
He hoped therefore that society could pay attention to the needs of deaf and hearing-impaired persons, and improve some measures such as in the official broadcast of information, to which sign language and subtitles could be added, to enable them to understand.
Further, Wong added that fewer jobs were provided to deaf and hearing-impaired persons so far. He said the government opened up different types of recruitments for deaf and hearing-impaired persons, but it all depended on their individual abilities.
In addition, he said that sign language translators are few, with different types of translation requiring sign language interpreters in various categories, increasing the difficulty of deploying sign language interpreters and providing translation services.
Further, he considered that the development of technology could improve a barrier-free environment, but the premise is to ensure all people have the ability to use technology.
Earlier this year, the association revealed that students with a hearing disability have opted to drop out of higher education due to the mandatory use of masks.
The association has communicated that, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, students who have a hearing disability have had a difficult time because they have been obliged to use masks at universities, which hide the lips and half of the face, making it harder to understand speech. Staff Reporter
