Some important points concerning the Deaf people of Bulgaria came up as I was leaving for Hungary, and I wanted to share them especially for US readers.
The thing to know about Bulgarian Deaf issues is that nobody really knows for sure exactly what is going on. However, the following items seem consistent:
...Bulgarian sign language is not an official language, and the linguistics work has not yet been done to show that it is, in fact a language. The situation is complicated by the fact that during the Communist era, there was an official book for sign language, but the book was made without the consent/input of the Deaf community, and thus the vast majority of the signs are not actually in use by Deaf people. This contributes to the difficulty of surveying for a national consistency of sign language use.
...Because Bulgarian sign language is not codified or official, this makes it difficult to train and employ sign language interpreters. The Bulgarian Union of the Deaf has trained over 400 people in sign language interpreting, but only about 20 work in a regular capacity as interpreters. Of those, only 2 are very good, in part because they are also linguists. The shortage of qualified interpreters is hugely concerning given the situation Deaf people face that carry great risk: legal matters, doctor visits, school meetings and more.
...Payment for Bulgarian interpreters is very different from the US. Every Deaf person in Bulgaria who qualifies or applies is given 25 Euro per year to pay for interpreting services. Thus, using interpreters is the responsibility of the Deaf person. The 25 Euro is administered by the Bulgarian Union of the Deaf. I do not know what happens if the Deaf person does not use the money for interpreting. ?
...Sometimes interpreters appear on national television, but Deaf people do not know what the interpreters are saying because of the lack of consistency in signing nationwide. This means that Deaf Bulgarians do not have access to information from TV, and rely usually on Facebook, especially Facebook groups.
...As Deaf and hard of hearing people have become increasingly frustrated with the status quo, some of the younger community members are looking for ways to diversify. One good example is the group called Listen Up, which is run by people who are Deaf and hard of hearing who want to set up and expand video relay services across Bulgaria. In the US, diversification of community efforts has provided a wealth of choices for Deaf and hard of hearing people, but in Bulgaria this effort is just beginning.
If you go to this link, you can see that Listen Up is beginning the very important work of exploring how to grow capacity for sign language interpreters. With Eastern Europe's transition to democracy in 1989, in some countries Deaf people have forged ahead to create new opportunities, but it seems that in Bulgaria the Deaf and hard of hearing people have been left out of progress. However, there is a recognition that formal official development and acceptance of Bulgarian Sign language, as well as capacity building for training intepreters, and reform for paying the interpreters, are keys to fundamental basic access.
Like any oppressed community seeking to surge ahead, progress can be impeded by competition and egos. I hope, however, that Bulgarian Deaf/hard of hearing advocates will stay focused on collaboration---there is too much to lose. I would urge US ASL experts to take a close look at what is going on in Bulgaria, because there is a real opportunity for transforming the social and economic situation of Deaf Bulgarians.
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