Testimonials
It is said there is a time and place for everything, including humor. Unfortunately, the Sign Language Interpreter skit on Saturday night hit the wrong “time” (fellow Americans struggling in a wake of a disaster) and “place” (content of getting infraction to a segment of our nation’s population that continues to struggle for its civil rights to information that we, the hearing majority, receive in our language, English, repeatedly in multi-media access).
It is not that the Deaf/Hard of Hearing communities or professional Sign Language interpreters fail to have a sense of humor. Nothing can be further from the truth.
But for years Deaf/Hard of hearing citizens have been at increased risk because they could not access information in the face of disasters, and there are been many tragic consequences as a result. The civil rights struggle , the ongoing fight (where there should be none) just to ensure that they get the same life-saving information everyone else is getting in order to protect themselves, their family and property occurs daily in our nation.
Access to information presented in their language ASL (American Sign Language) has been repeatedly denied in whole or in part by the broadcasting media for decades.
The linguistic diversity in our nation should include by ethics and law the language used by Deaf/hard of hearing community, Captioning does not suffice; the information is needed in their language. When interpreters have been finally put on TV emergency announcements, the broadcasting station’s logo identification was “so critical” that the interpreter in the corner “bubble” was blocked and virtually no information could be seen/read. Civil rights were pushed to the side, but at least one knew which TV station it was!
Now, when our most internationally recognized and respected NYC mayor’s office finally takes the logical step and appropriately places the interpreter next to the speaker, SNL unfortunately chose to find humor in the situation.
Had SNL, producers, performers been more aware, more informed about this segment of the population historic struggles, I am sure they would give pause. The very real struggle at this time and place content is not too dissimilar to times of other civil access/rights struggles. SNL would not have made fun of black and whites marching to DC for civil rights because of the time and place that was occurring; nor would SNL had used its talents to create a humorous skit when people were tearing down the Berlin Wall.
SNL’s lack of understanding of what a sign language interpreter’s service is in the context of the history and continuing struggles of the Deaf experience in our country is indicative of the lack of understanding within our nation about the Deaf community that is being played out every day in our cities, towns and neighborhoods in both private and public circles.
I hope this is an opportunity for the producers , who no doubt have much prestige and influence, to learn more about the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community, its daily struggles for linguistic civil rights and subsequently find ways to foster understanding and support through the media to a greater respect and recognition of the struggle and resilience in the face of unintentional ignorance brought on by us, the majority hearing populace and the unique skills and talents of the Sign Language interpreters who bridge the communication and cultural gaps between the Deaf and hearing communities.
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Angela Roth
President/CEO
ASL Services
