Sign language could become official language in Romania

Sign language could become an official language in Romania, which means that every public authority in the country will have to have an interpreter for people who use sign language. Adriana Saftoiu, an MP representing the National Liberal Party (PNL), is to submit a project in this sense to the Parliament next month, local Mediafax reported. If the bill will pass the vote and the sign language will be recognized in Romania, the state institutions will have five years to meet the new regulation. This will mean that, for example, if a deaf person asks for an interpreter, any institution in Romania will be able to provide one. “If sign language will be recognized in Romania, I will try to resume the law on the authorization of interpreters, who are very few in our country. I will have a discussion at the Ministry of Education to introduce a sign language department from 2018 at the Faculty of Letters. I also believe that mandatory courses for the accessibility of people with disabilities should be introduced at the faculties of medicine, social care and psychology,” said Adriana Saftoiu. People with hearing disabilities also encounter difficulties when it comes to education. According to statistics, only 1% manage to promote the Baccalaureate exam. “By 2020, the Romanian state must take all the necessary steps to ensure that people with disabilities are able to live an independent life, not an isolated life as it is now,” the MP also said. Romanian TV stations to receive free sign language interpreting Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com