More than 130 languages can be used to translate the SGI handbook, but American Sign Language is not one of them
On the SGI website, people who want to learn to drive can translate the text of the Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook into more than 130 languages. However, American Sign Language (ASL) is not one of them.
Adam Stratychuk, who has been deaf his whole life, wants to make it easier for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to get their driver’s license.
“A driver’s license is needed for 54% of jobs,” Stratychuk said.”Being deaf already makes us limited, but having a driver’s license opens up a lot of doors for possibilities.”
The Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services hired Stratychuk to translate the province’s entire driver’s handbook into American Sign Language (ASL).The goal is to share the translations in a series of videos on YouTube.Since March, Stratychuk and the rest of his team have been working on the project.
In Saskatchewan, people who are deaf or hard of hearing can get a Class Five or Class Seven driver’s license without any problems.
For 11 years, Stratychuk drove a tow truck. He said that his driving teacher and driving examiner, who taught and tested him when he was in high school and getting his license, didn’t think he was a good driver.
“I had to kind of fight to say, ‘Yes, I could drive, and deaf people do drive,'” Stratychuk said.
“It’s all about what you see and what you can see.”
LISTEN | CBC’s Theresa Kliem finds out about the work being done to translate the SGI driver’s handbook into American Sign Language (ASL).:
Read full transcript here.
Problems that come up when using interpreter
Stratychuk was able to get his driver’s license with the help of ASL interpreters, but he said that might not be an option for everyone.
“We have a small number of interpreters to choose from…”We have to pay for them to be there, and if the person doesn’t pass, we have to start over, which takes a lot of time and money,” Stratychuk said.
Xander Rinaldi just moved to Saskatoon. He is very hard of hearing. He has had trouble getting a job because many of them require a driver’s license, which he doesn’t have. He hasn’t been able to get one because there isn’t any training in ASL.
Rinaldi told CBC, “I need an ASL tutor or interpreter to help me translate the Saskatchewan Driver’s Textbook from English to ASL so I can understand.”
“But the cost of the interpreter is not free.”
Watch | The most common questions people have about ASL interpreters:
Stratychuk says that some deaf or hard-of-hearing people feel more comfortable using American Sign Language (ASL) because it is their first language or because they use it more than English.
He hopes that the ASL videos will help some people who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand what is being said.
“Since ASL is my first language, I try to do it in a way that makes it easy to understand.”
He says that people who are deaf or hard of hearing face challenges in school that other people don’t.
“A big difference between deaf people and other linguistic minorities is that deaf people don’t automatically get access to important life solutions through their parents,” Stratychuk told CBC in an email.
“In almost all other linguistic minority groups, families speak the same language at home, even though they are a minority.”
SGI is not an official partner of Stratychuk’s video project, but it supports the work that Stratychuk and his team are doing.
- Get all the news you want, no matter what. You can get our free CBC News App
“If it makes it easier for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to get driver’s licenses, that will give them more job opportunities and improve their quality of life,” said Tyler McMurchy, a spokesman for SGI.
“It’s a really good thing.”
Stratychuk hopes to finish all of the videos in the series by the end of August. If the SGI is happy with the final product, Stratychuk and his team at Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services could also translate the SGI exam questions into ASL.
“My main goal here is to help other people succeed,” he said.