Deaf and Hard of Hearing Issues in Hungary: SINOSZ

This morning, Anett Csordas and her daughter Zoe picked Kristen and I up from the Hotel Carat, to go to the offices of SINOSZ.  SINOSZ is the national organization providing services and advocacy for Deaf and hard of hearing people in Hungary.  Their offices are located in an area of Pest that is known for a large number of embassies.

The door to the offices of SINOSZ. The sign is at left.

 We were greeted by Róbert Ormódi and Andrea Jámbor. Robert is the executive director and Andrea is a Deaf advocate. Our goal in meeting was for me and Anett to learn more about SINOSZ and what they do. For me, it was important to understand their efforts from an international Deaf perspective; for Anett, it was important to understand their work in her efforts to coordinate greater cross-disability advocacy in Hungary.

Róbert gave us a summary of SINOSZ and its history.  It is one of the oldest disability groups in Hungary, and its formation stems from the frustration of Hungarian Deaf people against the Treaty of Milan in 1880.  The Treaty was the outcome of an international conference of Deaf educators who wanted to determine the best method of teaching Deaf people to communicate: oral (speaking) or manual (sign).  The oral educators won and from that moment sign language went underground around the world.

In response, Hungarian Deaf people organized to protect themselves, sign language, and to create opportunities for themselves in society. SINOSZ formally started in 1907.  The government had begun setting up institutions for Deaf and hard of hearing programs, but these places have always been oral and sign language has been more underground. In the 1920s, a national organization for hard of hearing people also formed.

SINOSZ has had its current name since the 1980s, and it has combined now both Deaf and hard of hearing interests.  Hungarian Sign Language (HSL) has been formally recognized by the the government since November 2009.  However, education at Deaf schools is still oral, and SINOSZ is lobbying for sign language to be used in a bilingual approach at these programs. If you look at this link, Hungary is supposed to use sign language in those programs starting in 2017, but the question is what the reality is.

 Róbert also told us that SINOSZ really only works with Deaf and hard of hearing people age 14 and up. Through a national network, they provide: access support, sign language education, info referral, news interpreting in HSL, help with finding employment, trainings and awareness sessions, and also help coordinating with the 22 HSL interpreters working in the country right now.

In Hungary, generally when a child is found to be Deaf or hard of hearing, the decision of the parents determines the course of their education. Generally, parents want their children to learn how to talk. There are schools for deaf children specifically, but the quality of the education is lower and generally it is very important to make sure you have extra time to explain things to students. Students who attend a mainstream (regular) school finish primary school at age 14. Student who attend a special school finish at age 16 or 17. More hard of hearing students tend to finish primary school than Deaf students.

For those who graduate primary school, the options are limited. Only one high school in Budapest will accept hard of hearing students. At the age of entry into high school, a survey found that hard of hearing students tend to read at a 4th or 5th grade level, and that Deaf student read at a first or second grade level.

SINOSZ is of the opinion that the problem in education is not necessarily teaching methods, but a problem of curriculum content. Deaf and hard of hearing students are usually taught a different, much lower level, curriculum than the hearing students. Anett asked Róbert whether inclusive education might be useful, and my understanding of the answer is that he said inclusive education could help improve the curriculum for Deaf students. However SINOSZ still supports the special schools.

In regards to assistive technology, Deaf children are increasingly getting cochlear implants (the question as all over the world of course is whether they work). Generally the state pays for hearing aids and cochlear implants for children. Over the age of 18, many adults get a discount on these technologies---the state pays 70%, and the person pays 30%.  This is still a significant cost for many.

Róbert said that in 2011, it was found that there are 60,000 hard of hearing Hungarians, plus 8,000 Deaf Hungarians. SINOSZ has about 15,000 members. Róbert knows of 36 members who definitely are also dealing with other disabilities. SINOSZ's structure is that it has 14 county/province coordinators, who are each responsible for two counties and coordinate programs.

Deaf-blind people are served by a different organization and tend to be supported separately from SINOSZ. Deaf-blind people are able to work, but they work in specific workplaces that are set up specifically for them. In contrast, hard of hearing people hold jobs throughout society, with many being late deafened, but Deaf people experience great difficulty in finding good work.

At this point, Róbert provided us with a quick tour of the offices and went to help work on a conference on systems change being held in one of the rooms. We had the opportunity to talk with Andrea a bit more...I shared the situation for Deaf people in Bulgaria, and she talked about her work, looking to the future to do research in pharmacy. She will be attending an event in Washington, DC this June, so I hope that she will be able to make connections with awesome Deaf people there.

SINOSZ is a strong and vibrant organization, and I was very impressed. There is merit to focusing on a particular sector with all of your time and energy, especially when it is possible to achieve results nationwide. I do think it might be possible, if SINOSZ and other sector groups might spend a little time collaborating, to possible achieve some overall things like improving education and jobs. Who knows? Hungary is a complicated country, and my job right now is to keep learning.

Left-right: Kristen Gaspar, Andrea Jambor, Róbert Ormodi, Anett Csordas

***If any of the above information is incorrect, please contact me and I am happy to update. Given that translation was from spoken Hungarian to spoken English to ASL, we had multiple layers of communication and some points may have been lost.