27 Facts About Shirly Pinto

Shirly Pinto is an Israeli Deaf social-political activist, who served as Member of Knesset for National Unity.

Shirly Pinto was born to Deaf parents, and raised in the Krayot.

Shirly Pinto's mother is Deaf and blind, and part of the Nalaga'at theater group.

Shirly Pinto attended the Carmel Zvulun Regional High School in Kibbutz Yagur, electing to study graphic design and social science.

Shirly Pinto received a complete matriculation diploma, graduating with honors.

Shirly Pinto spent most of her childhood with her mother's parents, as well as with her signing parents.

Shirly Pinto's life was a daily struggle because of a lack of awareness in the public.

At the age of 18, despite being exempted from compulsory military service, Shirly Pinto enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces.

Shirly Pinto served in the Israeli Air Force Technical Corps.

In 2011 Shirly Pinto enrolled for a law degree at the Netanya Academic College and participated in the college's excellence program.

Since 2016 Shirly Pinto has been a lecturer for the studies of Sign Language Interpreting, at Bar-Ilan University.

In 2017 Shirly Pinto interned at the law office of Furth, Wilensky, Mizrachi and Knaani.

In 2014 Shirly Pinto joined the "Shema for Education and Rehabilitation of Deaf and hard-of-hearing Children and Youth", where she was later employed as an instructor and an informal educational activity coordinator.

In May 2015, Shirly Pinto initiated an Israeli delegation to India, for assistance and legal-educational counselling to deaf children and youth in Indore.

Shirly Pinto led the "I sign I am Equal" public campaign for changing the consciousness of the importance of sign language in public, and for promoting legislation of the Israeli Sign Language as a recognized language in Israel.

In March 2017, the university hosted a ceremony in which Shirly Pinto presented a certificate of appreciation from the Center for the Deaf Studies to Rivka Carmi, the president of the university, for its actions.

In 2017, Shirly Pinto initiated a bill to make public service announcements on the television in sign language, which was led by MK Issawi Frej and MK Eitan Cabel.

Later that year, in cooperation with the Ruderman Family Foundation, Shirly Pinto arranged a meeting with Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin with the community of the Deaf and hard of hearing people in Israel.

Shirly Pinto had dealt with problems in the education system, the lack of accessibility to health services and lack of adequate public infrastructure.

Since 2015 Shirly Pinto has worked to strengthen the ties between Israel and the countries of the world, to improve the visibility of the population of Deaf and hard of hearing and the Advancement of Israel, and was chosen to represent Israel at a conference of the World Federation of the Deaf in November 2017 in Budapest in Hungary.

Shirly Pinto met Helga Stevens, a Deaf woman and a member of the European Parliament, and told her about the Deaf community in Israel versus the Deaf communities in Europe.

At her speech at the Federation, Shirly Pinto spoke about the importance of integrating Deaf and hard-of-hearing people who use both sign language and non-sign language as one whole population.

At the beginning of October 2017, Shirly Pinto turned to the welfare minister Haim Katz and asked him that during the intermediate days of Sukkot and Passover, the telephone relay service should be operated by the Institute for the Advancement of the Deaf.

On 5 December 2017, Shirly Pinto told the Knesset Science and Technology Committee that Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers do not hear their names on the announcement after ordering self-service meals, and suggested that the business would lend them a vibrating sign which would be drawn when their order was ready.

Shirly Pinto was a candidate for the municipal elections in Ramat Gan.

Shirly Pinto's conclusion was that a sign language control team was needed, preferably for Deaf professionals.

Shirly Pinto announced on 3 August 2022 that she would not join Zionist Spirit ahead of the 2022 Israeli legislative election.