The Irish Deaf Society (IDS), and the Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters (CISLI) are pleased to issue the following statement to support their agreement to work in close partnership for the future benefit of both Deaf people who use Irish Sign Language and professional interpreters, Deaf and hearing, whose working languages include a Signed Language. This coincides with the agreement set forward by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI ).

We will strive to promote learning opportunities to increase the number of available professional Irish Sign Language interpreters in Ireland. We will work in partnership towards the development of a national standard that shall become the basis for the Irish Register of Sign Language Interpreters.

We affirm the importance of collaboration, close liaison and mutual transparent communication between the Deaf community and sign language interpreters at international, national, regional and local levels, in order to build capacity and provide a forum for discussion to share resources.

This agreement recognises the primacy of the IDS to advance the political, cultural, language, economic, social and educational rights and interests of Deaf people in Ireland; it recognises CISLI’s primacy to advance the profession, rights and interests of sign language interpreters. This is our commitment to a shared future.