Activists want sign language taught in all schools

Activists under the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) have asked Parliament to enact a law that compels all schools to teach sign language. During the national celebrations to mark the International Day of the Deaf in Sembabule District on September 18, the Director of UNAD, Mr Robert Nkwangu, said with support of all leaders of persons with hearing impairment and organisations, they are preparing to table before Parliament a Bill on sign language inclusive education. He said they want the government to help address the barriers that affect deaf people and ensure that sign language is taught in all schools."Deaf persons have the same right to education like others, but many have been left out because of communication barriers," he said. He said some deaf children have dropped out of school not because they are not intelligent but because there are no sign language interpreters in schools. "We don't want persons with hearing impairment to be left out and denied access to education, health information and job opportunities because of communication barriers. These people have the same right to education and if the government recruits more sign language teachers to teach deaf children, they can perform better," Nkwangu said. The male MP for Persons with Disabilities, Robert Ssewagudde, asked the government to construct more schools for the deaf because there are only two secondary schools for the Deaf in Wakiso and Mbale Districts respectively. "We also ask government to recruit and employ interpreters in health facilities because many deaf mothers take long to be attended to by midwives who are ignorant about sign language," he said. Mawogola North MP, Godfrey Aine Sodo, revealed that Sembabule has more than 2,000 deaf persons, suggesting that a regional school for the Deaf be constructed in the district. The female MP for persons with disabilities, Laura Kanushu, who represented the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, said as Members of Parliament, they are ready to support the Sign Language Bill on inclusive education."We know the Cabinet passed a resolution for inclusive education for children with disabilities, and we are also ready to support the Sign Language Bill," she said. In his speech read by Ms Kanushu, Mr Tayebwa said Parliament will continue to address issues affecting deaf persons and end the communication barriers. "If deaf children are educated, they can easily get job opportunities in government offices as well as creating jobs for themselves," he said.However, Mr Tayebwa expressed concern over a big challenge in government health facilities where there are no sign language interpreters. State Minister for Primary Health Care, Anifa Kawooyo, said her ministry has already started harmonising accessibility of health information by putting sign language posters in health facilities."Very soon we will start training doctors, nurses and midwives in sign language interpretation to deaf patients," she said. Lawrence Kaggwa, one of the parents from Lwemiyaga Sub-county, said many parents do not know sign language to communicate with their children."We the parents find it hard to communicate with our deaf children and properly guide them," he said. The Persons with Disabilities Act, 2020 spells out the rights of Deaf people. Section 6 (1) makes it a duty for public bodies — such as schools, hospitals and government offices — to provide sign language interpreters when serving people with hearing impairments. This is more like a legal obligation than a request. The Act also sets out how this duty should be managed. Section 6 (2) directs the National Council for Disability to create guidelines to guide institutions on when and how to use sign language and interpreters, ensuring the service is consistent everywhere. Section 6 (3) adds another layer, requiring the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to establish standards for sign language so that interpretation across the country is uniform and professional, not improvised or left to chance.