Some Facts I Recently Learnt About the Deaf

S-DELI volunteer Mary, interviewing deaf students

In recent time, my passion for the deaf and some other vulnerable groups has received increasing attention in my career, thought and daily planning.
This is not unconnected with my recent voluntary services for the Save the Deaf and Endangered Languages Initiative (S-DELI). S-DELI is a non-governmental organization in Nigeria that conducts research on Nigerian signed languages and Deaf culture, reach out to families of Deaf children, seek to have early intervention programs, provide facilities in deaf schools and advocate for Deaf rights.

In my few months of community service with the S-DELI, I made attempts to learn, adapt and express my feelings or opinion. After last week of community service at Imo State Secondary School for the Deaf, Orodo, I had to recount my knowledge of the deaf community, its culture and challenges. I penned down the following synopsis of my lesson so far.

The Deaf Culture:

The term is used to explain a set of social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values, and shared institutions of communities which reflect or suggest deafness and sign languages as a way of communication. In the sense of Deaf Culture, members of the Deaf community tend to view deafness as a difference in human experience rather than a disability or disease. Many members take pride in their Deaf identity. This forms the basis for the spirit of oneness and mutual living among the deaf people in a social setup referred to as deaf community.

The Psychology of the Deaf Culture: 

The Deaf Culture just like nationalism is built with the consciousness of the unique way of a deaf person. This is aimed at dissuading the idea of inferiority or deformity among the deaf and the hearing while maintaining a strong bond built on pride for identify with other deaf people in the world. In the sense of reality, the deaf culture has successfully conquered the psychology of deformity associated with vulnerability and led a new match for deaf empowerment, inter-relation and advocacy.

Treasure Time Being With the Deaf:

Spending some time in a deaf community has tremendous motivational impacts on the hearing because of the deaf culture. Gone are the days when people are led to believe that the deaf are very aggressive and unfortunate to spend some time with. I realized they are fun to be with because of their impressive talents and desire to make you believe they can.... Deaf people in their nature desire relevant attention especially when they tend to have fun with the hearing. They had always wished to sign alongside the hearing and make the former to express himself in sign language. Sometimes, you hear them laugh or smile at an attempt by the hearing to sign correct expressions.

It is no gainsay to mention that the deaf are always willing to teach the hearing basic sign languages to enhance communication. Sometimes, they go as far as taking your hand and shaping your fingers to give the desired sign language. They make you sign as much languages as you can to the fun of all.

Challenges of the Deaf people:

The age long marginalization of the deaf has continued to shut them out of our larger community.

The deaf needs light to communicate. Sign language is a communication of sight not of voice. Hence, in the absence of electricity, the deaf can only communicate in the day. This limitation affects deaf communities in rural areas where steady power supply or facilities are not available or limited.

The unwillingness of some hearing parents or relations to learn sign language. The indifference of some parents of the deaf to learning sign languages has caused lack of cordial relationship between the deaf and his relations. This consequently disturbs the deaf child.

Lack of facilities and necessary exposure to life enhancement opportunities. The challenge may not be peculiar to the Nigerian situation, however, it is a dominant challenge for deaf people in Nigeria. Some state governments have deliberately decided to pay lip attention to deaf schools and communities because of undisclosed reasons. Both federal and state government should pay deserving attention to the welfare of deaf communities.

Prospects:

Deaf people ought to be part of the nation's workforce, contributing their quota to the nation's socioeconomic development and working out a better livelihood for themselves and their community.


Written by Joseph Uchenna, S-DELI Volunteer