15 Oct 2015

Indeed disability is not inability, and Mr Bayengi Mokiya authenticates the phrase.

Mokiya, a resident of Marapong has hearing impairement , he can’t speak or hear. Although he cannot use any spoken language, he is mentally alert, very charismatic, funny, a ‘talkative’ and very bright young man who is well-known as a sign language instructor at Botswana Society for the Deaf.

As Botswana commemorated the International Deaf Awareness week recently, his wish is to witness the deaf, sign language and deaf culture being understood. The outspoken young man said there is need to create awareness among the members of the society about deaf people.

 “I need your help to spread the word that people with hearing impairement are not any different from everyone. We are academically capable as our non-deaf counterparts.”

He said their difference is only that the hearing impaired use hands to communicate while the non-deaf use their speech.

He said while they communicate by means of body language and signs, they are very much alive to what is going on in their environment and have their own values and believes which they call deaf culture.

Mokiya revealed that this culture needs to be better understood by everyone as deaf culture includes characteristics of the deaf, as well as commonalities and obstacles they face, things like their activities, their mode of sign language and the set of social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditional, history, values, and shared institution of communities that are influenced by deafness and which use sign language as the main means of communication” he  writes.

Raised in Francistown Mokiya suffered a catastrophic accident when he was very young which lead to him losing his speech and hearing ability.However this has not deterred him from living a normal life and having big dreams.

 “I studied computers and ICT at Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies (GIPS) at its Francistown Campus. I did well in computers when I was there. I will join Botho University soon to enroll for a diploma in computer studies,” he said.

He said his mother passed away in 2000 when he was still very young and since then he has lived with his aunt who is good and always supports him.

He added that his aunt, Ms Florence Moses, has been this source of his strength and said his life is indebted to her as she did not discourage him.

He said the government can help the deaf through gainful work such as employing those with hearing impairement in government offices since some of them are computer literate and can contribute to the economy of the country.

The charged young man’s dream is to own a company with the sole aim of helping people with hearing impairement with educational problems they face.

“I need help to register a sign language institute so that I can help spread hearing impairement education and get more people to understand the hearing impaired, their language and deaf culture” he said. Ends