Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service ...

were absence of provision for a management structure within Irish Sign Link,inadequate funding for the administrative staffing, weak governance and anunduly politicised Board. Financial management practice was regarded by somecontributors as having been poor, resulting in difficulties for the organisation.Interpreters experienced a number of periods when they were not paid. Manyof these difficulties were seen by several contributors as directly linked to the lackof consistent and committed state support for the organisation.Bottlenecks in accreditation, and problems of uneven distribution of interpreterswere sometimes seen as the responsibility of Irish Sign Link; however, manyacknowledged that these problems were embedded in the way provision hasevolved, and were not necessarily, or even appropriately, the responsibility ofthat organisation.4.10.2 Delivery systemsThere were differing views about the most appropriate model for delivering signlanguage interpretation services. One view was that, once standards are in placeand demand and supply are projected, market forces should do the rest, withminimum state intervention. An alternative view was that a market model and acompletely privatised service will not work, and will result in a fragmented andpiecemeal service. Another view was that Irish Sign Link should be capable ofdeveloping into a commercially viable organisation, where the fees collected frompublic and private customers finance the running costs of the organisation. Theimportance of competition and competitive prices was raised.Some felt that a mix of self employed and employed sign language interpreterswill be needed in order to overcome some of the structural problems inherent in afully freelance service. The option of training staff in public sector organisations tointerpret was raised, but problems with this approach were also identified (such asthe difficulty for staff in managing this task alongside their core work, and thedifficulty in maintaining the level of skill needed).In terms of the future of Irish Sign Link, that organisation and representative bodiesin particular felt that it should play an important role in the future, with appropriateState financial support. Among the suggestions made for improving its capacity werestrengthened managerial capacity through the appointment of a CEO, improvedadministrative capacity, regionalisation, strong financial management, restructuring ofthe governance of Irish Sign Link, involving additional skills on the Board, widerrepresentation and a less closed Board structure, and a strategic and operational planwith clear goals and timeframes for action.There was a suggestion that Irish Sign Link should be independent of both theIrish Deaf Society and National Association for Deaf People, while another viewwas that both these organisations should be involved, and on an equal basis. Yetanother view was that, if the State does not provide the kind of infrastructuralsupport needed, and a home for the organisation, it should be placed under theauspices of a parent organisation within the community and voluntary sector,rather than be 'left alone'.Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service Requirements in Ireland • page 77