THE Namibian National Association of the Deaf’s (NNAD) acting director, Paul Nanyeni, said the deaf have the right to access information, just like everyone else.
Nanyeni was addressing a workshop which was attended by heads of United Nations agencies, developmental organisations and Law Reform Commission representatives on Tuesday in Windhoek.
The workshop was held to sensitise people on how to include the deaf in everyday activities. especially within professional setings.
“We have no voice. Sign language is the way we communicate. It is all well and good for a hearing-impaired child to learn sign language at schools for the deaf, but how can they be assisted when they need to access public services?” he asked.
Nanyeni added that when a deaf person goes to Natis, they cannot get help, or are told that they cannot get a licence because of their situation.
He said if sign language is recognised as an official language, Namibian students will attend lectures with no translators.
“This means, first and most importantly, that our language, Namibian Sign Language, and our deaf culture should be recognised and not undermined,” he stressed.
He said the Finnish, through the Namibian Empowerment, Equality for the Deaf through Skills Transfer, Mentorship, Education and Technical Training (NEEDS-MET) project has done so much to empower the deaf.
The NEEDS-MET programme has trained several sign language interpreters since its inception in 2015, something Finnish ambassador Anne Saloranta sees as a “vital necessity in facilitating the deaf community’s equal access opportunities, as envisioned in the international treaty.”
The association’s chairperson, Beata Armas, said despite an agreeable legislative environment and the impending inclusion of clauses in the new Education Act which allows the use of sign language as a mother tongue in schools, in reality the implementation of such mechanisms remain problematic.
Source: https://www.namibian.com.na/deaf-community-calls-for-inclusion/