On the second day of Deaf Day, Sweden’s event for the deaf community aboard a cruise ship, information booths and cultural activities are on the agenda. Visual Box, a deaf-led media company from Flanders, looks up to Sweden as an example for deaf art and media. Therefore, Visual Box seized the opportunity to attend this event and explore why media and culture for the deaf in Sweden are so advanced compared to Flanders.
Swedish Sign Language in Media Legislation
In Flanders, the public broadcaster VRT (Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie) is funded by the Flemish government. The management agreement, which is revised every five years, outlines the agreements between the Flemish government and VRT. Since 2012, it has been stipulated that the daily news at 7:00 PM must be made accessible with (hearing) interpreters for Dutch – Flemish Sign Language, as well as a children’s news programme with deaf interpreters.
In Sweden, three different public broadcasters are funded by the government: SR (Sveriges Radio, national radio), SVT (Sveriges Television, national television), and the educational broadcaster UR (Utbildningsradion). Media legislation in Sweden requires that SVT and UR regularly produce and broadcast programmes in Swedish Sign Language. Visual Box noted that these programmes are exclusively created by deaf individuals, which differs from the approach of VRT, where sign language interpreters are used in regular programmes produced by hearing and non-signing staff. For example, on SVT, ten-minute news broadcasts in Swedish Sign Language are presented by deaf presenters from Monday to Friday. Additionally, there are various programmes for all ages, such as a cooking show that was recorded live from the cruise ship in celebration of Deaf Day 2024 and broadcast on Swedish television. “We primarily need to produce the programmes in Swedish Sign Language and provide subtitles to enhance accessibility for a broader audience,” explains Martina Glovestam Kvist, a staff member at UR.
Programs by, for, and about Deaf People
This wide range of programmes in Swedish Sign Language provides excellent job opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing staff in the Swedish media. At both SVT and UR, about 15 to 20 signing staff members work, most of whom are deaf. “Moreover, our boss is also deaf,” adds Niclas Martinsson, a deaf representative from UR, enthusiastically.
In the 1990s, Tyst Teve, Swedish for “deaf television,” was first produced. “This was created by the Swedish deaf community itself before SVT took it over,” explains Elias Tebibel, a deaf media employee at SVT.
SVT’s programs in Swedish Sign Language are not only watched by deaf individuals but are also increasingly attracting hearing viewers, raising awareness about the deaf community. “Our programs are not just for deaf people, but about them,” explains Matilda Bergman Bergkrantz, a deaf staff member at SVT. “For example, we produce a fun dating show, but it also includes information about the deaf world.”
In Flanders, the deaf community has been asking for programmes about deaf people for decades. Visual Box has only managed to air two of its youth programmes in Flemish Sign Language on national television twice, but this was sporadic. While deaf-led media companies in Flanders feel they receive little trust from the public broadcaster VRT, the situation is different in Sweden. Mona Riis, CEO of the deaf-led media company Teckenbro, where SVT often outsources projects, explains: “The deaf ecosystem is really important. I’ve noticed this for a while, just like here at the information booths of Deaf Day. The deaf audience tends to support deaf companies here and is often hesitant and distrustful towards hearing companies. Deaf companies thus receive much support from the deaf community here.”
Structural Support for Swedish Deaf Theatre
Last year, Visual Box, in collaboration with the Flemish Sign Language Centre, organised a Sign Festival for the first time, where the audience could enjoy various art performances in Flemish Sign Language for just one evening. The question is whether there are sufficient financial resources to organise this more regularly. Furthermore, most deaf theatres, often connected to local deaf clubs, have been closed down in Flanders. However, in Sweden, it is legally mandated to provide support for Swedish deaf theatre. Ylva Björklund and André Jensen from Tyst Teater, a company of the national theatre organisation Riksteatern in Sweden, explain: “To make our art in sign language accessible to a broader audience, we also involve hearing actors. When we want to perform with our theatre company in various cultural venues, they are often hesitant if it is entirely in sign language because they think this would attract less audience. Therefore, we include hearing people. They are not interpreters, but hearing actors who perform on stage with us.”
A Lesson for Flanders
The insights Visual Box gained during Deaf Day could be crucial for the further development of deaf art and media in Flanders. “What we especially need to remember is that inclusion does not necessarily mean we have to look at mainstream media or theatre with a sign language interpreter,” explains Jaron Garitte from Visual Box. “It can also be the other way around: a theatre or media about deaf people, but also accessible to hearing viewers.”
On 15th September at 10:00 AM, the cruise ship returned to Stockholm, marking the end of Dövas Dag 2024 in Sweden. Stay tuned to Deaf Journalism Europe (DJE) for more updates on how our partners are exploring deaf communities in other countries.