02 Nov 2017

The executive director of Botswana Association of the Deaf, Ms Shirley Keoagile has emphasised the need to close the communication gap between the deaf community and the rest of the population.

Speaking during a deaf awareness workshop in Ramotswa recently, Ms Keoagile said the deaf community faced a huge communication challenge in the workplace, as there was no one to interpret sign language.

Furthermore, she said the community had to accept different kinds of communication and recognise sign language as another form of communication.

The head of department at Diratsame Junior Secondary School in Moshupa, Ms Maggie Mapharing said the deaf community was facing challenges because sign language was not budgeted for in almost all government departments.

She noted that sign language was a basic communication need for the deaf, but that families and the community were not bridging the communication gap.

Ms Mapharing said accessing health services was a challenge for the deaf, as there was no one to interpret what either the nurse or doctor said during consultation.

Furthermore, she said the deaf community was facing the same challenge when seeking services from police stations, adding that even the education system does not adequately address the challenges faced by deaf pupils.

Ms Mapharing called for interventions to close existing communication gaps, and to inculcate sign language as part of daily living. BOPA