The Azores Legislative Assembly is taking another significant step toward making democracy more accessible by introducing Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) interpretation during its live-streamed plenary sessions. For Assembly President Luís Garcia, the initiative reflects a simple but powerful principle: no citizen should be excluded from following parliamentary activity because of communication barriers.
Speaking about the new measure, Garcia emphasized that accessibility is not merely a technical improvement but a democratic responsibility.
“A truly open and accessible Parliament must reach every citizen,” he said. “By providing Portuguese Sign Language interpretation during our live plenary sessions, we are removing a barrier to information and ensuring that more people can follow, on equal terms, the debates and decisions that shape the future of our Region.”
The initiative is designed to bring the Legislative Assembly closer to the people it serves, allowing members of the deaf community to participate more fully in public life and gain direct access to legislative debates, policy discussions, and parliamentary decisions.
Garcia believes that informed participation begins with equal access to information. By making parliamentary proceedings more inclusive, the Assembly hopes to encourage broader civic engagement while strengthening public understanding of the legislative process.
The implementation of Portuguese Sign Language interpretation follows careful technical and financial planning. Before its official launch, the Assembly conducted a full-scale pilot during a live parliamentary broadcast in May, testing both the technology and operational procedures under real conditions. According to Garcia, the trial confirmed the reliability of the system and provided the confidence necessary for permanent implementation.
Rather than employing full-time interpreters, the Assembly has adopted a flexible service model through a specialized company. Interpretation hours are contracted specifically for each legislative session, allowing the Parliament to provide professional, high-quality interpretation while managing public resources responsibly.
“This is a balanced and sustainable model,” Garcia explained. “Accessibility requires more than good intentions—it requires practical solutions, adequate resources, and continuity. We are committed to ensuring this is an ongoing service, not a temporary initiative.”
The President stressed that the Assembly will continue monitoring the quality of the interpretation service to ensure its long-term effectiveness and uninterrupted availability.
The sign language initiative forms part of a much broader strategy to modernize the Azores Legislative Assembly and strengthen its relationship with citizens.
Over recent years, the Parliament has introduced numerous measures aimed at increasing transparency, public participation, and digital accessibility. These include expanding its communication channels, strengthening its social media presence, producing new digital content, launching podcasts, broadcasting parliamentary sessions live, and making legislative and financial information more readily available through its Transparency and Citizen Participation Portal.
Garcia noted that many of these initiatives have been inspired by the Assembly’s active participation in the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE), where regional parliaments exchange best practices on parliamentary modernization, citizen engagement, digital transformation, and institutional transparency.
Today, the Azores Legislative Assembly goes even further by leading a CALRE working group dedicated to E-Democracy in the Digital Age.
“This responsibility allows us to work on these issues at the European level,” Garcia said. “We can share our own experience while learning from other legislatures and adapting successful practices to our own reality.”
Although digital innovation and artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly important tools for democratic institutions, Garcia believes modernization is about much more than technology alone.
“Modernizing a parliament is not something that happens overnight,” he observed. “It is an ongoing process that requires institutions to evolve alongside society and continually find new ways to become more accessible, transparent, participatory, and closer to the people.”
The successful implementation of Portuguese Sign Language interpretation also builds upon previous cooperation between the Azores Legislative Assembly and Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic. During this year’s Azores Day celebrations, a sign language interpreter from the national Parliament provided live interpretation of the official ceremony, demonstrating the effectiveness of collaboration between the two legislative institutions.
That partnership, Garcia noted, reinforced the Assembly’s commitment to eliminating barriers wherever possible.
“Our work only fulfills its purpose when it reaches the greatest possible number of people,” he said. “It is therefore our duty to continue removing obstacles and making parliamentary activity as accessible as it can be.”
For Garcia, the broader challenge facing democratic institutions today extends beyond accessibility alone.
In an era marked by an overwhelming volume of information—and misinformation—he believes parliaments have an even greater responsibility to communicate directly, transparently, and clearly with citizens.
“Democratic participation begins with access to information,” he said. “People need to understand what is being debated and decided if they are to form opinions, ask questions, hold elected officials accountable, and participate meaningfully in public life.”
Ultimately, Garcia argues, democracy cannot be reduced to election day.
“It is built every day through participation, dialogue, knowledge, and trust,” he said. “And trust requires transparency, openness, and a constant commitment to ensuring that no one is left outside the democratic process.”
With its latest accessibility initiative, the Azores Legislative Assembly seeks not only to broaden access to parliamentary proceedings but also to reaffirm a fundamental democratic principle: that representative institutions are strongest when every citizen has the opportunity to hear, understand, and participate in the conversations that shape their future.
Based on an interview published in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director. Photo from DI.