A New Era in the Right to Sign are being realised. This report recommends additional work-related costs directly that government agencies either develop related to being deaf. The Training Support their own monitoring of NZSL provision, fund can be used for interviews, training, including any unmet demand, or contract an education or work experience as part of a external booking agency to play this role. plan to gain open employment. Interpreters’ fees have increased in recent years yet There continue to be reports of the maximum annual payment under the government agencies refusing to arrange Job Support fund has not changed in over or pay for qualified NZSL interpreters and 10 years. It does not meet the needs of inappropriately writing notes or asking a deaf people in jobs that require significant deaf person’s unqualified family member amounts of communication using NZSL to interpret. Access to NZSL interpreters interpreters. and information in NZSL cannot be solely a reactive process, dependent on deaf people The lifetime limit for the Training Support asserting their right to a NZSL interpreter fund is insufficient to cover the interpreting or translator. In particular, it is difficult for costs of fulltime study on many courses, let many deaf people to question a decision by alone for subsequent career development someone in authority that an interpreter is or training. Submitters were unsure not necessary. whether this fund is available for job interviews. They were also concerned it Government funding of NZSL interpreter was too low to cover the rising work-search services is piecemeal and the funding gaps obligations for deaf people, which result create often insurmountable barriers for from welfare reforms. deaf people. Specific groups within the deaf community face additional barriers accessing It is in everyone’s interest to improve NZSL interpreter services, including those the level of collaboration, monitoring, who require trilingual, deafblind or deaf accountability and information that will relay interpreters. Monitoring gaps in access enable good practice to be identified. The to NZSL interpreter services should not be roll-out of video remote interpreting (VRI) is entirely dependent upon complaints from one positive example of such collaboration. deaf people. Monitoring would be assisted It is also essential that VRI complements if there was a centralised point within face-to-face interpreting, which will often government providing such an overview. continue to be the most appropriate and accessible service for deaf people. Workbridge administers two Ministry of Social Development funds that deaf people It is impossible to adequately recognise can access. Job Support funds cover the the place of NZSL as an official language 11