Sign language interpreters at government briefings must: PIL

New Delhi, November 20

As visually impaired woman lawyer from Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court, demanding sign language interpreters during press briefings by the Prime Minister, CMs and ministers.

Filed by M Karoagam, a disability rights activist, the PIL sought directions to the Centre and states to provide sign language interpreters during important press briefings in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Contending that access to sign language was the basic human right of deaf people, she submitted it was also the key to breaking down communication barriers and participating in society like other citizens.

She said that in the absence of sign language interpreters, thousands of hearing and speech impaired persons were denied an opportunity to understand on a real-time basis any communication from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister of the State of Tamil Nadu, especially about safety measures and lockdown guidelines during the Covid pandemic. — TNS