Deaf people slam equalities watchdog as lack of sign translator stalls talks

Furious deaf people slammed the Equal Opportunities Commission yesterday after it failed to provide a sign-language translator - to hear complaints about a lack of sign-language translators on television.

Representatives of the 9,000 deaf Hongkongers who rely on sign language arranged a week ago to spend an hour discussing their concerns with commission representatives. They want it to investigate whether the failure of news broadcasters to provide sign translation breaches the Discrimination Ordinance.

But the lack of a translator - blamed by the EOC on a "miscommunication" - meant the meeting had to be stalled for hours until a translator could be found.

"They were informed ahead of time a week ago. But they didn't prepare [for the meeting]," said Connie Lo Chun-yi, through a friend's translation. While some members of the group could have translated, Lo said it was the responsibility of the EOC, not her friends, to provide translation.

"My friends aren't employed by [the EOC]," she said. "What if we had come alone?"

EOC spokesman Sam Ho said the deaf people had no problem communicating through translators they brought along at the start of the meeting. When they refused to go on without an official translator, the EOC called one up.

"It was mainly a miscommunication problem," Ho said.