Twenty years after New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) became an official language, a young Deaf person says true inclusivity and accessibility remain a long way off.
NZSL translator Ryley Yates, 18, said he struggled with bullying, discrimination and isolation throughout his life.
“Being Deaf is beautiful, but sometimes it can be really difficult due to society’s attitude,” Yates said.
There are about 4600 Deaf people and tens of thousands of New Zealanders who use NZSL in daily life.
NZSL Week is held annually and led by Deaf Aotearoa. It celebrates NZSL, Deaf culture and the ongoing journey towards equity, access and language rights.
Yates told the Herald he grew up in a Deaf family, with his brother and both of his parents also being Deaf.
He said his parents had a much different upbringing than he did because they were the only Deaf people in their family and they attended mainstream schools without access to interpreters.
“Information was limited for them. They had frustrations in education, frustrations in home life, because the communication wasn’t there with their families every time and 100% fluent,” Yates said.
He said although he had many connections to the Deaf community throughout his childhood, he faced significant barriers once he started at a mainstream school.
“I always found myself being isolated from the environment because my culture and language is so different to hearing people,” he said.
Yates said he struggled for years with discrimination, which forced him to become resilient in a world where he was made to feel “inferior”.
“The pressures that are put on us as Deaf people are that we are inferior to hearing people, that we can’t do things, we’re not capable of doing things,” Yates said.
“The society around us puts those limitations and those barriers and that discrimination on us.
“And I pushed through.”
Yates said he also faced limited opportunities to take part in hobbies, including the sports he enjoys, such as volleyball, without interpreter support.
“I’m an athlete, and I’m limited, and I’m pushed to the side because I’m Deaf sometimes,” Yates said.
Yates said there were times when he had felt included, like last year when two of his friends used sign language during a conversation at school that he wasn’t even involved in.
“They just naturally, automatically did it. It was a gut instinct. I was in the room, therefore, they needed to give me access to that information, which is really amazing.
“That was the first time I felt fully included,” Yates said.
Having lived in Hamilton and Auckland, he said there was a difference in the way he was treated in each city.
“In Hamilton, it took time for people to see me on the same level as them, whereas in Auckland, because of the diversity and cultures, it meant that I automatically was on the same playing field as everybody else and seen as an equal,” Yates said.
On April 6, 2006 – before Yates was born – NZSL was formally recognised as an official language.
“We’ve achieved all these amazing things in the 20 years, but it’s such a new thing. It’s still in its infancy. We’ve got a long way to go before we feel really included into society as Deaf people,” Yates said.
Yates said the milestone was more than something on paper, “it’s about our preservation of our Deaf community, our language, what we’ve achieved, our history, the oppression we’ve faced”.
“We need people alongside us to support us to ensure that society changes to include us,” Yates said.
He said, looking towards the future for the next generation, there was a need for Deaf role models, community engagement and more opportunities for Deaf people to come together.
Deaf Aotearoa president Craig Findsen said recognition alone does not guarantee equity.
“We honour our elders, advocates, allies and organisations who fought for our language to be seen and valued. At the same time, we are honest about the work still ahead so Deaf children and future generations can experience full access, participation, and belonging in society,” Findsen said.
The organisation’s chief executive Lachlan Keating said systemic barriers remain across education, health, employment and public services.
“Allyship means moving beyond awareness to action – embedding NZSL into everyday spaces, systems and decision making,” Keating said.