As Deaf Awareness Month comes to a close, the need for more individuals to learn sign language has been highlighted as a solution to many of the immediate problems faced by the deaf community.
Nomvuzo Luwaca, who founded Buffalo Deaf Association (BDA), a local NPO dedicated to assisting the deaf community and helping them navigate society, said members of the deaf community are at a disadvantage when it comes to social services.
“Deaf people are faced with hectic struggles because they are excluded from communication in places like police stations, clinics and banks because people who work there cannot speak sign language. I think the community can assist deaf people by learning the most basic level of sign language so that they can be able to assist deaf people when they need help,” Luwaca said.
Luwaca says that her organisation would love to offer sign language classes but unfortunately, they lack the finances and resources to do so.
Luwaca first started the organisation after her deaf sister passed away as a result of a misdiagnosis by doctors due to miscommunication with her.
“My sister passed away in 2012. She got really sick and was unable to talk to us and tell us what was really wrong. We were not aware of the actual problem, until after she died. I started this NPO because I wanted to help deaf people so that they don’t go through the same struggles as my family.
“We work with the department of social development, and other organisations to help raise awareness for the deaf community,” Luwaca said.
Sign language was recognised as the 12th official SA language in July 2023 and many individuals and organisations within the deaf community have called for sign language to be incorporated into the school curriculum so that every South African can learn to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people.
Nokwazi Mafusini, a sign language interpreter from Walter SIisulu University, says that if more people learned sign language, it would eliminate the struggles that deaf people have when it comes to communication at hospitals, clinics and police stations.
“I truly believe that if there are people who know sign language in these spaces, it would make life easier for deaf people because they will feel seen and they will be able to express themselves better.
“In hospitals, it will eliminate the chances of being wrongly diagnosed.
“Many deaf people often feel demotivated from reporting crimes at police stations because without an interpreter, they may not be understood,” Mafusini said.
Mafusini said that one basic way that these sectors can help the deaf community is by ensuring they have a pen and paper close by so that they can write their statements and concerns down.
Patience is also important when assisting deaf people.
