Local institute rolls out sign language training drive

ALASO Academy, a local institute that seeks to ensure the growth, promotion, and professionalization of indigenous and foreign languages, has embarked on a programme to train sign language, especially in churches to ensure the inclusion of speech and hearing-impaired citizens.

This comes as communication barrier is a barrier both at family and community level. Established as a language consultancy, the institute started teaching languages in 2021 after the realisation that most people needed to learn languages for different reasons.

Training is offered in IsiNdebele, Shona, KiSwahili, Tonga, Portuguese, German, Chinese, French and sign language. Last week more than 200 people underwent a one-day elementary training in sign language in Bulawayo, in partnership with West Zimbabwe Conference.

Alaso Academy founder, Mr Sipho Sibanda, a qualified linguist, said for a long time, the deaf community in Zimbabwe has been sidelined due to communication barriers.

“Alaso also provides language-related services, which include but are not limited to, translation, interpretation, editing, proofreading and subtitling. We have up to nine languages on offer and we are biased towards sign language due to its condition and state in Zimbabwe with the intention to grow, develop and advance the language,” he said.

“The deaf struggle to access services with ease due to the fact that most service providers cannot communicate in sign language. Sadly, even in churches, they are failing to worship due to the fact that services are held in verbal languages and in most cases, no interpreter is provided for them.”

Mr Sibanda said since 2021 Alaso has been holding workshops across the country training Sign language to people from different social statuses.

“To date we have managed to train more than 200 people with some of them taking up languages and linguistics as a profession. Most organisations, churches and other groups we have partnered with, trained and worked with have managed to be inclusive of everyone thereby upholding every citizen’s linguistic human rights in accordance with the constitutional provisions. Some members of the society who were unemployed have managed to secure jobs as interpreters, teachers and counsellors among other professions,” said Mr Sibanda.

About last week’s workshop, Mr Sibanda said it was meant to appreciate people with disability through day-to-day communication with them. Some of the speech and hearing-impaired participants said they face challenges in their families and church as they only see people speaking but cannot comprehend because there will be no interpreter.

Ms Sindisiwe Ncube said some parents abuse their own disabled children.

“Sometimes parents scold their disabled children for being slow in comprehending instruction at home. When there are visitors, some do not even introduce their disabled children and you find the people living with disability become happy when they mingle with their peers,” she said.