State's silence deafening, say hearing impaired
Signs: The lack of nursing personnel with knowledge of sign language is the main problem for people with hearing disabilities, who number approximately 3 million, according to national figures (Hürriyet Foto)
Turkey's 23 million people with hearing dİsabilİtİes, who have difficulties İn expressing themselves in public, have requested translators to bring an end to their communication problems.
"I am just a person with a hearing disability, not a person with obstacles in life. [ However, ] having a hearing disability means being oppressed. Since doctors and nurses do not understand me, they give me a preseription without understanding what my problem is,"said Serkan Köseoğlu, 25."I ask the state to put translators in every public field. We need translators İn the hospitals, poliçe departments, schools, airports and in other places İn public life."
The problems experienced by Köseoğlu are faced by millions of people with hearing and speaking disabilities. The Turkish National Federation of the Deaf says that there are approximately 3 million deaf people in Turkey.
The main problem that deaf people experience İs not being understood."The doctors do not understand a thing. They just write a preseription and send us back. A few years ago, I had a serious allergic reaction. A deaf friend of mine died because they had the wrong medicine preseribed,"said Tığral Makul, who İs hearing impaired.
In an attempt to address deaf communication problems, some hospitals have started to give sign language education to their staff, including doctors and nurses. Şişli Etfal and Dünya Göz are among the hospitals receiving sign language education from the Turkish National Federation of the Deaf. Some universities are also preparing to give sign langLiage as an obligatory course to students in nursing departments.
The federation's Chair Ercüment Tanrıverdi said no schools give education in sign language. istanbul Hearing Disabilities Tourism, Education, Culture and Solidarity Association head Seçil Tannverdi said the state doesn't hear the voices of deaf people.
"How much can a person who cannot articulate himself exist in society ? We can only communicate with our nahve language, which is the sign language. We need translators who know sign language. The recent steps by hospitals are positive; we need that in every field," Tanrıverdi said.
