“Deaf people are the same as hearing people.”
That was the messaged shared by Sara Quick, during International Week of Deaf People which just passed.
Worldwide, there are more than 70 million Deaf people, like Sara. In Canada, 5% of Canadians and 4.19% of Ontarians aged 15+ have a hearing disability. Yet, access to and use of national sign languages remains a challenge.
PTBO Today.ca spoke with Samantha Marren of DeafBlind Ontario Services.
In 2019, the Accessible Canada Act, which removes barriers for people with disabilities, received royal ascent, meaning it officially became an act in Canada. The act acknowledges ASL, Langue des signes québéquoise (LSQ) and Indigenous sign languages as the primary languages for communication by people who are Deaf in Canada.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
