It is time to celebrate a change for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and implement Sign Language Interpreters (SLI) in all public meetings and broadcasts. The deaf community needs and wants to know what is happening within their communities and accommodations must be made to ensure that is possible.

The detrimental effects of this disparity cannot be overstated. It gravely impacts the mental state of many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, adding to their feelings of exclusion. It is crucial that we acknowledge the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities’ rights to inclusivity and equality. Ensuring and promoting their entitlement to communication rights and services that hearing citizens receive.
This petition seeks the enforced requirement for the availability of Sign Language Interpreters at all public meetings. The deaf community needs and wants to be informed of what is happening in their respective communities. These public meetings can include a local school board meeting that their child attends, a town hall meeting addressing a serious safety issue with Law Enforcement, and so on. It is time that we affirm the inclusion of all citizens, regardless of their audibility; upholding their right to information and democratic participation.

In addition, many of these meetings can be recorded live and uploaded to a designated website, allowing members to access the broadcasts via their electronic devices which can be viewed using auditory assistance such closed captions (CC) or subtitles.

Please sign this petition to mandate a change, to mandate Sign Language Interpreters’ presence in every public meeting. Equality and inclusivity should not be an afterthought, but the standard for all, including the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.