Interpreter shortage a challenge for deaf community

SALALAH: For many deaf people in Dhofar, access to a conference, public service or essential information can still depend on whether a sign-language interpreter is available.
Volunteers working with the community say requests for interpretation arrive every week, while many events and some public-facing services are not routinely equipped to communicate with deaf users.
Hanaa al Shidad, a board member of the Salalah Volunteer Team, said 2025 figures available to the team put the number of deaf people in Dhofar at close to 1,000.
Yet access to sign-language support has not developed evenly alongside the needs of the community, she said.
“Many conferences and events in Dhofar do not have a sign-language interpreter, despite the presence of people specialised in sign-language interpretation who are ready to provide the service,” Al Shidad said.
She also pointed to uneven accessibility across public facilities, where services are not always set up to allow deaf users to communicate independently.
The challenge, according to volunteers, is therefore not simply whether people with sign-language skills are available in Dhofar, but whether interpretation is provided at the place and time it is needed.
Hani bin Juma al Malkhi, founder of the “Bil Ishara Naltaqi” — or “We Meet Through Sign Language” — team, identified the shortage of interpreters as one of the main difficulties facing deaf people in the governorate.

Al Malkhi, who established the initiative out of an interest in sign language and supporting the deaf community, said the gap becomes particularly apparent when interpretation is required at short notice or across different services and activities.
The team provides voluntary interpretation to government, private and community organisations when requested.
Al Shidad said requests are received on a weekly basis. When an interpreter cannot reach a location in person, the group sometimes switches to video calls, providing remote interpretation between the deaf person and the organisation concerned.
The arrangement offers an immediate solution, but it also illustrates the extent to which access can still depend on the availability of volunteers.
Al Shidad identified the Omani Association for Persons with Disabilities in Dhofar and the Salalah Volunteer Team as the main community-based organisations providing dedicated support to people with hearing disabilities in the governorate.
The “Bil Ishara Naltaqi” initiative also conducts workshops across different sectors to improve awareness of how to communicate with deaf people.
Healthcare is considered a particularly important area.
Communication barriers in a hospital or health centre can have more serious consequences than at an ordinary event, particularly when a patient needs to describe symptoms, understand medical advice or communicate information to healthcare staff.
The group therefore sees training and greater sign-language awareness in the health sector as an important area for further development.
Higher education presents another constraint.
Dhofar University currently offers a two-year Diploma in Computer Science for students with hearing impairment, providing a dedicated higher-education pathway for this group.
Al Shidad said, however, that the limited range of specialised higher-education options available locally restricts the choices open to deaf students who may want to pursue fields outside computer science.
The issue has gained greater significance following the introduction of Oman’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities Law under Royal Decree No 92/2025.
The law requires relevant entities to provide qualified sign-language interpreters in accordance with its implementing regulations. It also establishes broader rights to accessible services, information, education and participation for persons with disabilities.