RTÉ HAS MARKED the half-century of its news for the deaf bulletin, which was the first in Europe when it launched in 1975.
Featuring a news announcer summarising the day’s news accompanied by an on-screen script, the bulletin has evolved today to RTÉ News with Irish Sign Language (ISL), which is broadcast seven days a week and watched by close to 100,000 viewers each day.
The news bulletin, developed in consultation with the National Association for Deaf People (now Chime), was the first of its kind, delivering a dedicated daily news service for the Deaf and hard of hearing.
Ahead of the launch on 6 January 1975, deaf children and adults came to RTÉ to experiment with newsroom staff in the types of presentation style that suited them. This work covered everything from reading the script on screen to lip reading what the presenter was saying.
It has been credited as a “milestone” by the Irish Deaf Society, which said it paralleled a societal shift in attitudes toward Irish Sign Language.
“Before 1992, RTÉ began its journey with news presented through lip-reading, but the launch of daily ISL news in 1992 was groundbreaking,” said chair of the Irish Deaf Society Lianne Quigley.
Quigley, who is also a member of the RTÉ ISL news team, noted the “challenging and long path” to ISL recognition in 2017 as further major progress for inclusion and equality.
The current daily ISL news “remains vital in providing the Deaf community in Ireland with full access to national news in their own language”, Quigley added.
Speaking on the anniversary, managing director of RTÉ News and Current Affairs Deirdre McCarthy said the “50-year journey is a testament to inclusivity and innovation”, further paying credit to Chime and The Irish Deaf Society for their collaboration with the station.
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