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Disability Issues
Dr Christine Peta
SEPTEMBER is Deaf Awareness Month.
Accordingly, Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in seeking to bring visibility and awareness of the communication needs and unique identity of deaf persons.
The issue of using a capital “D” or small “d” is important because “uppercase D” in Deaf is used to describe people who identify as culturally Deaf and are actively engaged in the Deaf community, where they use a shared sign language.
On the other hand, the small “d” denotes the medical condition of having hearing loss and people who do not commonly have a strong connection with the Deaf community, and often do not use Sign Language, as they prefer to communicate orally.
However, some people with moderate hearing loss may choose to identify themselves as Deaf and to be actively involved in the Deaf community.
But persons who have very limited or no hearing at all may prefer to identify themselves as deaf, as opposed to Deaf.
A person can be “deaf” without being Deaf, and vice versa.
There is, therefore, no clear-cut definition that practically relegates persons to one category or the other.
The best way is to go by a definition that an individual chooses for himself or herself.
Although the largest number of persons who are Deaf is known to be living in the Global South, including in Africa, contextual studies that focus on the subject are hard to come by.
Some scholars have attributed the paucity of studies on deafness and sign language to the fact that a large number of Deaf persons regard themselves as a cultural minority group (that uses sign language).
As such, they tend to isolate themselves by creating deaf communities that are characterised by their own history, language and culture.
Conversely, some people argue against the above view and state that most Deaf people are born in hearing families.
They are then introduced to the definition of deafness by healthcare professionals who regard it (deafness) as an abnormality.
The marginalisation of Deaf persons from everyday spaces, therefore, begins in homes and infiltrates into communities, education, healthcare and employment sectors, resulting in the isolation of Deaf people.
Defining deafness is largely a controversial issue. This is because, among other things, the terrain of deafness consists of variations in the levels of hearing (mild, moderate, severe and profound).
Whilst the term “hearing loss” may be regarded as all-encompassing, some people with congenital (from birth) deafness do not regard themselves as having lost their hearing.
Some people also believe deafness is the inability of a person to hear the voice of another individual whom they are familiar with in a quiet setting.
But people do not live their lives in quiet settings, interacting with people whom they are familiar with only.
There is, therefore, no legitimacy in a definition that measures deafness by our ability to hear mum speaking quietly in the family kitchen! Section 3.33 of the National Disability Policy of Zimbabwe (2021) is dedicated to the subject of Sign Language.
Among other things, the policy states that the community of persons using Zimbabwean Sign Language have the right to use, develop and preserve the language, as well as to foster, extend and transmit Deaf Culture.
The policy further states that those who intend to provide Sign Language interpretation should submit their applications to the Disability Affairs department in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, who shall issue them with a Zimbabwean Sign Language Interpretation Licence.
This practice is important because it enables the department to weed out impersonators, people who claim to be Sign Language interpreters when they are not.
The National Disability Policy also states that Sign Language interpretation should be performed only by a person with a clean criminal record.
The person should not be under suspension to practise interpretation, must have acquired a relevant professional qualification and met guidelines that arise from the policy. In addition, the Sign Language interpreter must handle any data, facts or information they may become aware of in connection with their service in a confidential manner.
This obligation shall continue in force even after termination of a particular person’s service provision.
Tips for communicating with Deaf persons
Make sure you get the person’s attention before trying to communicate
When speaking, do so clearly and at a normal volume, without exaggerating the movements of your mouth or facial expressions
Do not cover your mouth with your hands
If there is a breakdown in communication, establish another way to say things, e.g. write down the main ideas
Sign Language is not a preserve of Deaf persons only and we should all learn to use it for ease of communication.
It promotes unity between Deaf persons and hearing persons.
Dr Christine Peta is a disability, policy, international development and research expert, and is the national director of Disability Affairs in Zimbabwe. She can be contacted on: [email protected]
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