Features
Pushing for the Inclusion of the Deaf People in our Societies
Deaf people across the world have for years faced challenges in their every day-to-day life. This has been facilitated by our systems lagging in implementing measures that should favor people with disabilities.
The International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated on 23rd September, offering a unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of Deaf people across the world.
The date falls under the International Week of Deaf People which is celebrated from 20th to 26th September of every year. During this week, communities worldwide are expected to come together to recognize that Deaf people are part of their communities, culture, and languages.
This year’s theme according to the World Federation of the Deaf, “we sign for human rights”, highlights how each of us, Deaf and hearing people can work together to promote the right for everyone to learn sign language and for it to be used in all sectors of life.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes and promotes the use of sign languages and has for years made it clear that sign languages are equal in status to other spoken languages and urges nations to facilitate learning of sign languages in schools.
The SLIC (Sign Language is Cool) Hub, a Kenyan non-profit organization is one among the few that focuses on disability inclusion through sign language for all. The platform promotes disability inclusion through the knowledge and usage of sign language as a ‘cool’ communication skill for all.
The organization has designed models on human communication to influence people by modifying their beliefs, values, and attitude change towards disability for the sake of inclusion. They have gone further in designing programs that target and communicates to individuals at interpersonal, family, and community participatory approaches.
According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are more than 70 million Deaf people in the world. 80% live in developing countries and only 2% have access to formal education with an overall of 300 different sign languages.
In many countries, sign language is considered as a mere gesture which results in Deaf children being deprived of a language, and also unable to socially integrate with others in society. The UN General Assembly created this date with an aim to defend the human rights of the Deaf and see how they can succeed and have the same successes in their lives as someone with the same privileges.
With the world’s fast-growing technology, it is with no doubt that these advancements have the potential to bring a solution to the long-standing barriers of communication, employment, and full community participation of the Deaf people in our societies.
There are three types of technologies that can aid students with hard of hearing in classrooms. We have the assistive listening devices which help amplify the sounds you want to hear, especially where there is a lot of background noise, augmentative devices which help Deaf students understand others and communicate better themselves, and alerting devices that adapt the sound to other forms of communication.
Speech-to-text devices has also been a major game-changer since they translate human speech to text, making communication easier for Deaf people. However, the issue is that these devices are not accessible for most especially those in remote areas.
Our communities should urge for the inclusion of education for the Deaf children programs in all schools and the opportunity to be accepted and productive members of society.
Despite Kenya Sign Language (KSL) being recognized as a national language, Deaf individuals do not have access to qualified KSL interpreters, creating barriers to education, employment, public information, justice systems and many more. However, the Kenyan Sign Language Bill 2021 is currently in parliament. Its main objectives include promoting access to quality education by learners who are deaf, provide for the recognition and regulation of sign language interpreters, promote access to public services by Deaf people among more.
Parents and community members should see the value of sending these children to schools. Teachers should also do the most with their skills in modifying instructions and classroom activities to engage full participation of all children.
Also, it is important for everyone to learn sign language as part of other languages we normally learn in school. This would bridge the barrier that Deaf people experience every day when communicating with family members and friends. The government should take this as an initiative to introduce sign language for everyone and this will come a long way in making Deaf people feel appreciated and accepted in our communities.
The SLIC Hub is a non-profit entity that focuses on disability inclusion through Sign Language for All. The organization’s model has been designed on human communication to influence people by modifying their beliefs, values and/or attitudes and mindset change towards disability for the sake of inclusion.
SLIC’s approach is towards inclusion, equity and elimination of stigma and discrimination for peoples with disability through communications and deep understanding of their culture.
