「手話こそ私の言葉」聴覚障害に理解広がる　高齢化する“通訳士”の育成は急務

Aiming to create a society where people with hearing impairments can live with peace of mind, Fukuoka Prefecture has enacted an ordinance that recognizes sign language as a language and promotes its widespread adoption. While understanding is improving, challenges remain. ◆ "I left the examination room crying when I was told he had hearing loss at three months old." Miyuki Kawahara lives in Fukuoka City's Chuo Ward, and these are her eldest son, Jima (8), and her second son, Takuma (5). Takuma was diagnosed with congenital sensorineural hearing loss at three months old. Miyuki Kawahara says, "I was shocked when they told me he had hearing loss, and I left the examination room crying... That was probably the most depressing day." This is a video of Takuma wearing a hearing aid for the first time at six months old. "Takkun, you can hear me! You can hear me! I'm so relieved." Takuma now uses a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. His mother, Miyuki, struggled to find a nursery school. She says she was even told dismissive words by the nursery school staff. Miyuki Kawahara: "They told me, 'There's no precedent, so it's impossible.'" Fukuoka Prefecture enacted the "Sign Language Ordinance" in April. Aiming to create a society where people with hearing impairments can live with peace of mind, the ordinance recognizes sign language as "one of the languages" and promotes its use. The ordinance also includes the establishment of a support system that allows people with hearing impairments and their families to receive continuous consultations from infancy. ◆There was a time in the past when sign language was banned Takeshi Shinozuka, who communicates with his coworkers using sign language, was born deaf and attended a school for the deaf. There, "using sign language" was prohibited. Takeshi Shinozuka: "I was once talking to a friend in sign language on the school bus, and I was told, 'Sign language is no good.' I was punished for using sign language." Instead of sign language, "oral education" was used, in which words are read from mouth movements and pronounced. Takeshi Shinozuka: "I spent a lot of time practicing oral pronunciation. Because of this, I was far behind compared to students at regular schools in subjects like Japanese, math, and science. I wanted to study, to learn just like a regular school student, but I wasn't able to study properly. It was really difficult and unfortunate." ◆ Feeling that "understanding is definitely spreading" In 2016, the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was enacted, stipulating that "reasonable accommodation" be given to the requests of people with disabilities, provided that it is not too burdensome. Shinozuka says he has also noticed changes in his life. Shinozuka visits this osteopathic clinic twice a month. He communicates using an app that displays what is said as text on a screen and by using gestures. Takeshi Shinozuka: "They've devised a new way to communicate. We use an app, and even if a sign language interpreter isn't available, we can communicate through writing. It's reassuring to come here." ◆Sign Language Interpreters Not Recognized as a Job While understanding of the hearing impaired is increasing, the number of sign language interpreters to support them is insufficient. There are currently 142 people registered with the Fukuoka Prefecture Sign Language Association. Many of them work for private companies during the day and interpret at night and on weekends. Nao Nakajima, Secretary General of the Fukuoka Prefecture Sign Language Interpreters Association: "We provide sign language interpretation professionally, but we don't make a living from it, so if you ask me if it's really work, I wouldn't call it work at this stage. I guess it's not really recognized as a profession in society. I don't think the conditions are particularly good." Private companies and others are also increasingly requesting sign language interpreters. However, with the aging population, nurturing the younger generation is a challenge. Nao Nakajima, Secretary General of the Fukuoka Prefecture Sign Language Interpreters Association, said, "Probably 80% are over 50. There are few younger generations, so in 5 to 10 years, the current members alone will not be able to support us. Everyone is worried." Fukuoka Prefecture is planning to add another training venue for sign language interpreters to further their training. Yukiko Machida, Advisor, Fukuoka Prefecture Disability Welfare Division, said, "The reality is that we don't have enough, but we're doing our best to make it work. We recognize that we need to increase the number of interpreters." ◆ "We want to create an environment where sign language can be used safely anytime, anywhere." However, the profession of sign language interpreter is not well known. Nao Nakajima, Secretary General of the Fukuoka Prefecture Sign Language Interpreters Association, said, "I hope that s...