Deaf people fight over interpreters in the delivery room

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Fernanda Hintz (26) is heavily pregnant. The Lenzburg resident is expecting her first child in two or three weeks – she doesn’t want to know if it’s a boy or a girl. Other things, on the other hand, are: “I would like to understand everything when I talk to the doctor,” she says with a look at the meeting.

But that is often not so simple. Because Fernanda Hintz is deaf. And now desperately fighting to get a sign language interpreter for the delivery.

“Communication is often a matter of luck”

Bank appointments, doctor visits, professional meetings – deaf people like Fernanda Hintz depend on an interpreter for all of this. But they are scarce in Switzerland. An emergency visit to the doctor can become a problem.

“Whether or not you spontaneously get a sign language interpreter is often a matter of luck – they are usually fully booked,” says Hintz. Her husband Dirk (39) is also deaf and therefore cannot translate.

Even everyday things often become a challenge for both of them, especially during pregnancy. There are many administrative procedures and visits to the doctor. And they always have to calculate: do we have enough translation hours left for this month?

Only ten translation hours per month

Because the couple has ten hours of interpreters available every month. The disability insurance (IV) no longer wants to pay the couple. “This is not nearly enough for everything, so you have to plan and plan very well,” says Fernanda Hintz.

The financing problem is ubiquitous. The couple tried unsuccessfully to charge for a special baby monitor for the deaf through the drip. Now it has to pay for it itself. Birth can also become a financial burden: an hour for a sign language interpreter costs 150 francs. The cost of a longer birth would be beyond the couple’s budget.

The IV is aware of the problem. But there is no legal basis to support people like Fernanda Hintz in a more straightforward and comprehensive way. The IV can therefore no longer award funds. To change that, the inclusion initiative will be launched on Thursday. The aim is to enshrine in the constitution the right to self-determination and participation of people with disabilities.

The injustice starts at school

«We are not handicapped! We may speak a different language, but we can do exactly the same as everyone else,” says Hintz confidently. In fact, she works and pays taxes like everyone else.

Only more stones are put in her way. That starts at school. Switzerland has no bilingual education in which teachers also speak sign language. According to Hintz, this inequality in childhood has dramatic consequences: “Educational deprivation continues throughout your life – or how many deaf doctors and top executives do you know?”

She therefore finally wants a clear legal basis that gives everyone the same opportunities and possibilities. She hopes the inclusion initiative will make a difference. “I don’t want money! I just want to finally be able to participate fully in social life on an equal footing.”

Source:Blick