Sign language officer appointed in Jersey after role left vacant for years

  • Laura Makin-Isherwood reports...

Jersey's government has hired a dedicated officer to help deaf and hard-of-hearing islanders get by, with the role having sat vacant for years.

Hundreds of people with hearing issues benefited in the past from a government-funded community officer before the position was scrapped in 2018.

The new appointee to the role, Katia Cassiano, is having to learn sign language from scratch.

Coming from a family with a deaf father, she says "I always wanted to make a difference and work in the community".

She says: "I think it's important to make a difference for these guys, make them independent, confident - in all the areas they live... because you can".

She is undaunted by the prospect of learning British Sign Language, saying: "This is natural for me to do this... there's no obstacle or fear or anything."

British sign language is the language of choice by many people who are deaf or hard of hearing Credit: Government of Jersey

Peter Le Feuvre, who chairs the Jersey dDeaf Partnership, said that having a person back in the role is a step in the right direction.

"To have nobody supporting the community, advocating for the community was a total disaster - but fortunately the mistake was realised," he said.

What does 'dDeaf' mean?

dDeaf is a shorthand term for people who are 'deaf' (diagnosed with hearing below the normal level) as well as medically 'Deaf' (diagnosed with the condition of deafness).

Some organisations that support or provide services for deaf people or people with hearing issues prefer to use 'dDeaf' to show they support a wide range of hearing needs.

British Sign Language is a communication method of choice by many islanders who are deaf or heard of hearing and can be vital for them in situations such as medical appointments.

Carole Jordas, a deaf awareness tutor, says "I know we don't have a huge amount of people whose first language is BSL - but for them, it would be great if they could have a conversation with anybody".

Jersey's government is also launching an awareness course at the end of the month, designed to improve people's communication skills with the deaf community.

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