WFD-WASLI JOINT STATEMENT ON ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES AND
INTERPRETER OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
DURING THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID 19) CONTAINMENT EFFORTS
The recent coronavirus (Covid 19) outbreak is of concern for healthcare authorities and citizens
alike. Governments responses to this outbreak must be inclusive of all members of the public, including
deaf people who use sign languages. The WFD and WASLI remind governments on all levels of theircommitments under the Convention on the Rights of Peoples with Disabilities (CRPD) to ensure full accessto information and accessibility to all services under CRPD Articles 9 and 21.
It is imperative that all public health announcements made by government officials are also done in thenational sign language(s) of that country. Televised (whether live or prerecorded) announcements related
to the coronavirus outbreak should be interpreted in real time into the national sign language(s) with sign
language interpreters being on screen and clearly visible the entire time of the broadcast.
The WFD and WASLI join national associations of deaf people around the world in demanding directaccess in their national sign language(s) to informational materials on the coronavirus. Information bynational health organizations and government entities to the public should be distributed in their nationalsign languages. As per best practices under CRPD Article 21, governments have an obligation to provide
information directly in sign languages and not solely via translation. Global health entities should also
make their global information and public education materials directly accessible in International Sign, andif working in specific national settings, in relevant national sign languages.
WASLI and the WFD take the health and safety of sign language interpreters around the world very
seriously and are committed to promoting professional standards in all work settings. The coronavirus
situation reminds us of the need to ensure best practices in sign language interpreting access and in thehealth and safety of sign language interpreters as professionals working as integral parts of health caresystems around the world.
WASLI and the WFD urge sign language interpreters and deaf people to work together to find solutions
that ensures accurate access to information and healthcare without putting the interpreter and (oftenlimited) interpreting resources at risk. Sign language interpreters who work in emergency and healthsettings should be given the same health and safety protections as other health care workers dealing withCovid 19. There maybe appropriate alternatives for optimum access, such as an interpreting wearing atransparent surgical mask or from behind a transparent screen, so that facial expressions and lip movement
is still visible, as these are important grammatical elements in sign languages. If amenable to the deaf
patient and in accordance with the practices outlined in the WFD Position Paper on Accessibility: Sign
Language Interpreting and translation and technological developments, remote/distance interpreting may
also be feasible.
For further information on best practices in interpreting access, please refer to the WFD Position Paper on
Accessibility: Sign Language Interpreting and translation and technological developments.
The WFD and WASLI will monitor this situation and issue further guidance as becomes necessary.