Despite the difficult budgetary situation, deaf people in the Free State of Saxony are to continue to receive financial compensation of 150 euros per month for their additional expenses. Saxony is the only federal state that grants benefits of this kind and to this extent, said Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) ahead of the International Day of the Deaf (September 29). According to the 20-year-old law, 2,548 people across the state currently receive state blindness benefit and other compensation for disadvantages.
Sign language interpreters are closely associated with the everyday lives of hearing-impaired people and are indispensable companions for many, according to the ministry. It is now taken for granted that they accompany events or even TV broadcasts, said Köpping. "I am glad that inclusive thoughts and ideas are becoming more and more established and that inclusion is being practised more and more." With this support, those affected are gradually achieving a more inclusive quality of life. When it comes to inclusion, however, "the road is still long and not free of obstacles".
International Day of the Deaf was established in 1951 by the World Federation of the Deaf. It traditionally takes place on the last Sunday in September, in 2024 for the 73rd time.
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