This is the thirteen of a series of interviews with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). In this interview, we spoke with Ádám Kósa about the progress made in ensuring greater accessibility of the European Parliament, but also his experience as the first deaf MEP coming to an institution that had to adapt and create a suitable legal environment for people with disabilities. We also spoke of the need for national sign languages so that everyone can access and follow the work of the European Parliament.
The EU institution: a leader in the field of accessibility and inclusion?
Question: As a dedicated and longstanding member of the Disability Intergroup, working to enhance the inclusivity of the European Parliament, can you highlight the progress made in ensuring greater accessibility for people with disabilities? What challenges remain to be addressed in this effort?
Answer: Our suggestions for making a more accessible environment in the European Parliament are handled at the highest level. Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, is committed to the cause and she will do everything possible to ensure that barrier-free access continues. However, this is not always easy, since thousands of people work in the European Parliament, and the work of many services has to be coordinated, starting from security people, interpreters and technicians, and the room attendants working in the plenary session, and I could go on and on. Therefore I also proposed that a coordinator be appointed to connect the directorates-general and services dealing with disability issues within the European Parliament. President Metsola was open to the proposal, and it was confirmed that the coordinator position could be created this year. The fact that the management of the European Parliament is proving to be cooperative in this matter, they welcome the initiatives we have taken with my fellow representatives and are now fully committed to making the EU institution a leader in the field of accessibility and inclusion is a reason for further optimism.
Towards the complete accessibility of the European Parliament
Question: Being the first deaf MEP, can you tell us about your experiences in running for office and working as a Member of the European Parliament?
Answer: I arrived at the European Parliament (EP) in 2009 without anyone knowing how to approach a representative who uses sign language. My presence obliges the European Parliament to create a suitable legal environment for people with disabilities, as well as to create a suitable background, for example, to provide my sign language interpreters with seat monitors in the meeting room and to equip the office with flashing lights, since I cannot hear the fire alarm siren, but also the bell to warn of the beginning of the sessions. Since then, I have considered it my personal mission to make the European Parliament building usable for people in wheelchairs, blind or deaf, whether they come to Brussels or Strasbourg as visitors or to work here. The change began slowly but surely. In the almost fifteen years that have passed, the building’s entrances, elevators and boardrooms have been made easier to use, taking into account the needs of people with disabilities. EP staff are regularly trained in order to properly communicate with people with disabilities and provide them with assistance according to their needs. Despite all the difficulties, the change has started. With many small steps, we have come a long way towards the complete accessibility of the European Parliament in the last fifteen years, and it is a particular pleasure that I could take an active role in this.
National sign languages at the European Parliament: a serious challenge
Question: To encourage more people with disabilities to get involved in politics, what steps and support do you think would be most helpful? How can we work together to make sure more people with disabilities can take part in politics and the European Elections?
Answer: We need to reach European citizens with our messages encouraging them to get involved in politics. This would also align with the provisions of Article 21 of the CRPD Convention, which focuses on freedom of expression and opinion, as well as access to information. However, delivering the messages of politicians with disabilities to citizens is a complicated issue. The work of the European Parliament can be accessed and followed through interpretation in all official languages of the EU. However, I would like to go further than this and have been asking for years that the meetings can be followed in national sign languages in addition to the spoken languages. This is a serious challenge, because the same number of sign language interpreters as audio interpreters would be needed, and the conditions for this have not yet been met. This year marked a historic achievement as the September evaluation of the President of the European Commission on the state of the EU was, for the first time, live-transmitted in international sign language through the official webpage of the European Parliament, following years of persistent work. A small step that we hope will be followed by many more!
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