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
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