At an event to mark the International Week of the Deaf on Friday, the Health Department wanted to ensure that the environment was inclusive for its participants. A sign language interpreter was roped in for the 20-odd children who had hearing impairment, and had undergone cochlear implant surgeries, as well as for the elderly who received hearing aids from the Chief Minister at the event held at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).
A day before the event, Mission Director of the National Health Mission spoke to the Commissioner for the Welfare of the Differently Abled, seeking a sign language interpreter, according to authorities at the RGGGH. “We had a compere, and the sign language interpreter explained everything simultaneously. We wanted the beneficiaries to be part of the event in every way, and to know what the speakers were highlighting. This is the first time that such an arrangement was made,” RGGGH dean E. Theranirajan said.
As Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Health Minister Ma. Subramanian addressed the gathering, their speeches were simultaneously interpreted in sign language for the beneficiaries.