On the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language, a national record was set in Ukraine for the largest dictation with sign language translation. As reported by the head of the National Register of Records, Lana Vetrova, 195 people with hearing impairments from different regions of the country, 195 people participated in the event.
The event was initiated by the public organization “Vidchuy”, which is engaged in the rehabilitation, socialization and protection of the rights of Ukrainians with hearing impairments. The dictation was held at the Kyiv Professional College of Applied Sciences.
While writing the Radio Dictation of National Unity for hearing-impaired participants, specialists translated the text into sign language — both for those who were present offline and for those who joined online.
“You could see how important it was for them to feel part of this unity! I am sure that sign language in a barrier-free society should become the second state language. This issue is becoming especially acute now, when you increasingly meet soldiers and veterans who have lost their hearing as a result of injuries. And each of us should be able to use sign language – it’s normal if we want to have a society with values such as understanding and empathy, Lana Vetrova noted.
Let us recall that the author of this year’s dictation text was writer Yevheniya Kuznetsova, and it was read by actress Nataliya Sumska. The work uses dialect words, there are references to Les Poderviansky’s play, as well as mentions of ballistic missiles, drones, and electronic warfare systems.
