The European Parliament celebrated today forty years of successful advocacy for sign language rights with a high-profile event. The conference was hosted by Pál Szekeres, Member of the European Parliament for Fidesz and member of the Patriots group, who welcomed nearly 100 representatives of the European Union of the Deaf from every EU Member State.
The large-scale gathering was honoured by the presence of Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality. In her speech, Roberta Metsola emphasized: “Supporting people with disabilities is an issue that rises above party lines!”
Pál Szekeres stated: “Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution proposing measures to improve accessible communication as part of the EU’s disability strategy beyond 2024.” He pointed out: “We recommend that the European Parliament provide sign language interpretation during its plenary sessions, complemented by real-time automatic captioning solutions.”
The MEP stressed: “To ensure the inclusion of deaf and deafblind persons, we must pay particular attention to making sure that the websites of EU institutions meet accessibility standards.” He added: “We must also remember that around 16% of Europe’s adult population experiences hearing loss significant enough to affect daily life. Yet hearing impairment often remains invisible to others and therefore receives less attention. With them in mind, the European Parliament is also advocating for the development of a toolkit on invisible disabilities, which would form part of the future EU disability strategy.”
On the picture: Roberta Metsola (President of the European Parliament); Sofia Isari (President of the European Union of the Deaf); Pal Szekeres (Member of the European Parliament).