There are plans to introduce sign language interpreting for city council meetings in Mykolaiv
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- Alina KvitkoReporter
Mykolaiv City Council meetings may become accessible to people with hearing impairments. Photo: NikVesti archiveIn Mykolaiv, there are plans to make city council meetings accessible to people with hearing impairments. To this end, they plan to amend the rules of procedure and explore the technical feasibility of providing sign language interpretation for broadcasts. Councillors have suggested the use of artificial intelligence technology as one option.
This was discussed at a meeting of the Mykolaiv City Council’s Committee on Legality and Transparency, according to NikVesti.
According to the committee chair, city councillor Olena Kiseliova, plenary sessions are currently streamed on YouTube, but the broadcasts are not adapted for people with hearing impairments.
«We are talking about the possibility of providing sign language interpretation during plenary sessions. This is necessary so that people with hearing impairments can receive information properly. We currently broadcast the sessions, but there is no interpretation,» she said.
Olena Kiseliova noted that the issue still needs to be worked through. In particular, it is necessary to determine whether the city will engage a sign language interpreter or seek other technical solutions, as well as to secure funding for such changes.
During the discussion, city councillor Yevhen Pavlovych proposed exploring modern technical solutions, in particular the use of artificial intelligence.
«It seems to me that it is much easier to do this now. Sign language interpreting can be provided using artificial intelligence programmes without the need to employ specific individuals for this purpose. We need to explore these possibilities,» he noted.
Following the discussion, the committee instructed the city council secretariat to prepare amendments to the rules of procedure, and instructed Yevhen Bohachenko, director of the municipal enterprise «City Information and Computing Centre», to examine technical options for implementing sign language interpretation during the broadcast of meetings.
It is worth noting that in the Mykolaiv region, there are calls to train staff at railway stations, coach stations and other institutions providing essential services in sign language. This need is explained by both accessibility issues for people with hearing impairments and the increasing number of veterans with such conditions.
In addition, a new service called «UTOG 24/7» has been launched in hospitals across the Mykolaiv region, providing round-the-clock access to a Ukrainian sign language interpreter.
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