State Federation of the Deaf criticizes TVE’s lack of sign language during Sanchez’s appearance

The National Federation of the Deaf (CNSE) condemned RTVE. Does not include Spanish sign language Channel 24 Hours aired President Pedro Sánchez’s appearance in Congress last Wednesday.

According to a statement released by the federation this Thursday: This decision left thousands of deaf people on the margins of political and social news. And it shows “an alarming failure on the part of this public service to comply with accessibility obligations”.

“RTVE operates arbitrarily. Some may incorporate sign language interpreters, while others may not. There are no clear criteria or reasons,” said CNSE President Roberto Suarez.

For Suárez, the absence of sign language in a performance of this level of political and social relevance means:Particularly serious cases of exclusionThis would deprive the Deaf community of their right to receive equal information. ”

“We are not facing a small problem. We’re talking about publicly funded emissions. and political information that affects all citizens,” he charged.

For the federation, this is not an isolated episode. Because, as mentioned earlier, “RTVE has relegated the presence of sign language interpreters to alternative formats -Similar to the HbbTV platform, it eliminates deaf people who follow information only on traditional TV. ”