With September being the deaf awareness month, more people are being encouraged to learn the sign language.
Nyangweso School for the Deaf Principal Ann Oduor said the low levels of knowledge of sign language creates a barrier between people who are deaf and the rest of the society.
She said basic sign language could be extremely helpful especially when interacting with deaf people.
Oduor said there was need to introduce basic sign language in the school curriculum to promote communication between the deaf and the rest of members of society.
She said the majority of people were only conversant with communication through speeches thereby sidelining deaf people.
The principal, who spoke Thursday in Homa Bay town after the school community held a procession to create awareness on the rights of deaf, said some people have a misconception that the deaf were temperamental and that they faced a lot of discrimination because people do not understand them.
“Children who are deaf have language barriers when communicating with their parents. Some parents with deaf children do not understand sign language,” she said.
Moreover some deaf children are also struggling to acquire education and most of them come from vulnerable families that are struggling to make ends meet, she noted.
“Others are not taken to school at all while their siblings get a privilege to be educated,” she said.
She said some parents do not take deaf children to school believing there are no employment opportunities for them when they grow up and that deaf adults also suffered when seeking services from government offices.
Derick Obudho, a teacher at the school, urged Kenyans to acquaint themselves with basic sign language communicate effectively with the deaf.
“Deaf people struggle to access government services because staff in the offices do not understand sign language,” he said.
By Davis Langat
