More eyewash to treat hearing impairments? Or a new dawn?

This evening 19 September 2019 I attended a semi-public meeting organised by the Deaf Partnership Board.
It was a very good meeting addressed by Minister of Health Deputy Richard Renouf and a team of about 8 persons with particular roles in the "deaf community" of  Jersey.

There was an "audience" of about 60 plus persons many of whom had hearing impairments or had a personal interest in the subject.  There was a very lively and outspoken Q and A session which included many criticisms of services available past and present. All speakers were supported by signers and  visual caption screens that displayed their speeches and presentations.
Unfortunately there were some technical problems with the screens and the hearing loop did not work

I recorded the Minister's address and his summing up and it is linked here but was asked not to record other participants, signers or the public but I recorded one short interview after the meeting with a woman from the audience.

There was much critical comment from participants at this meeting and many defects were outlined that I have encountered over 40 or more years in Jersey.

The range of defects described were extensive and encountered in most aspects of life from babyhood to adulthood, in education at all levels, employment, consulting with doctors, interpretation etc and all manner of communication difficulties.
It was made sadly obvious that  "techno" wizardry is not sufficiently reliable and will not provide all the everyday answers needed. There was  resistance to the use of some technical aids in certain situations.
Time and time again the expressed need was for trained persons to be employed - not machines - with particular "deaf awareness" knowledge as well as BSL skills to level 3 and beyond.
There is a great shortage of such people in the UK to draw upon.
One in Six people are reckoned to have a hearing impairment and there are 6,000 hearing aid users in Jersey.

Videos below - Deputy Richard Renouf's address to the meeting as Minister of Health;

 Below is Richard Renouf summing-up;

Below is an interview with a woman from the audience ;

Discrimination evidently presents itself in many forms in Jersey and such meetings are needed much more often to help combat it and other unfairnesses.