Sign Language Interpreters Scarce in Schools

Sign language is a visual language that uses hand shapes, facial expressions, gestures, and body language to communicate with people who have hearing impairments. Just like spoken languages, there are different types of sign languages, each with its own unique grammar and vocabulary. Unfortunately, sign language isn’t widely offered in Belizean schools. As we discovered for this week’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday, there are two main reasons for this: there aren’t enough qualified interpreters for the Ministry of Education to hire, and the salary for the job isn’t competitive with other professions. However, at Itz’at STEAM Academy and Stella Maris School, students have access to sign language, which helps them better understand their lessons. We saw firsthand just how impactful this is when we visited them today. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.

 

Malique Hutchinson, Student, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“I love my friends, my classmates, and I love my family.”

 

Marion Ali

“Isabella, when you finish school what would you like to be?”

 

Isabella Sanchez, Student, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“I think when I’m finished, I’d like to work in a restaurant.”

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Malique Hutchinson and Isabella Sanchez are first form students at Itz’at STEAM Academy in Belize City. Both are hearing impaired, and had they not have a sign language interpreter present, they would have had a harder time grasping the concepts of their lessons. This is part of an education tool for students who need it at the secondary level. But the culture of having it has been lacking. Rose Williams has been a sign language interpreter for almost fifty-seven years, and she says it is necessary.

 

Rose Williams, Sign Language Interpreter

“Signing and doing interpreting is very important for them to get whatever is being said because they cannot hear and so they will not be getting whatever is being taught. So I need to get it, whatever the teacher is saying, and then I sign it to them so that they can understand.”

 

Sign language has been part of Stella Maris’ culture for decades. Teacher Sheree Salgado shared that this practice dates all the way back to the 1950s.

 

Sheree Salgado, Teacher, Stella Maris School

“This school started off with one student who was visually impaired. Back then, they didn’t know much about how to cater for him. So the sister at the time, she went to Jamaica and she came back with information of how to assist. And so, when the school actually started, it started off with three visually impaired students, one deaf student and a child who had meningitis and their classroom was downstairs of what we call the Sister Cecilia Home back then. And, you know, they used to house mentally challenged persons there. So that’s how it started, so from 1958.”

 

Beyond cultural considerations, sign language should be a tool available in all Belizean schools. Christy Almeida, Special Education Program Coordinator at the Ministry of Education, emphasized that a student’s inability to understand a lesson due to hearing impairment doesn’t reflect their intelligence.

 

Christy Almeida, Special Education Program Coordinator, MoE

“A child or a student who is deaf or hearing impaired does not necessarily mean that they have an intellectual impairment. There might be other issues, but for the most part, these kids should and could be supported in our inclusive setting.”

 

But as Almeida pointed out, there are two main issues: there aren’t enough qualified interpreters, and the salary offered for the position isn’t attractive enough for them.

 

Christy Almeida

“Finding interpreters that can provide the service for them so that they can interpret what the teacher is doing – there is a serious lack of interpreters of people with that sort of qualification. And it’s almost like a chicken and an egg because we have some people in the deaf community that can sign or that support those in the deaf community that can sign, but they will say “Well, how much am I going to get paid? Maybe I can get paid more if I go to a call center.”

In the classroom, sign language helps to close communication gaps, especially in exams.

 

Rose Williams

“I would read whatever the problem is and explain it to them so that they know what the problem is asking for, and then I leave it to them for them to work it out.”

 

Sheree Thurton-Gillett, the sign language interpreter at Stella Maris School, shared that keeping the younger students engaged can be quite a challenge. To capture their attention, she must get creative in the classroom.

 

Sheree Thurton-Gillett, Sign Language Interpreter, Stella Maris School

“I have to do some attractive visuals, first of all, even if it’s a letter. The letter “A” has to have an alligator behind it or an apple as well. And then the sign for “A” on the card along with the letter “A” and I would sign, this is “A”. I would point to letter “A” and I would show them this is “A” in sign language.”

 

Thirteen-year-old Jada Muschamp, who also has hearing impairment, relies on the sign language interpreter at Itz’at to help her understand her lessons better. Outside of school, she gets creative in finding ways to communicate with others, just like many people do.

 

Marion Ali

“You have your friends outside of school, how do you communicate with them?”

 

Jada Muchamp, Student, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“I communicate with them using my phone. Through my phone I can communicate with sign language.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.