11 Dec 2019

 Some parents of children with hearing impairment are still finding it difficult to accept their children.

The executive director of Botswana Society for the Deaf, Ms Orapeleng Mokgosi made the remark at a workshop organised for parents of children with hearing impairment in Ramotswa on December 9.

 “Most of the parents are still in denial, and this makes it difficult for them to accept the deafness of their children,” Ms Mokgosi said. She said the failure to accept children’s deafness left some parents with a devastating situation while the children felt neglected and needing parental love, care and support.

 She added that there was need to bridge the gap in order to make such children feel part of the family.

 Ms Mokgosi said during school breaks, most of the deaf children prefered not to go to their respective homes, as they were often isolated and needed family attention.

 A counsellor at the University of Botswana, Ms Motshwari Mabote encouraged parents to care and support their children, saying a child with hearing impairment could become anything in life provided there was support.

She stated that out of denial, some parents developed anger, frustration and blamed themselves or others for their children’s condition. “Others have fear, not knowing how they will communicate with the child,” Ms Mabote said.

 She noted that it was important for parents of such children and the community to know sign language.

 Ms Mabote said there was a need to make families and communities inclusive of the deaf community, adding that support from the family would make the child prosper.

 “Learn sign language and take it serious, you should be knowing it because you are the first school,” she told parents.

 She called on parents to assist their children to take part in existing empowerment programmes.

 University of Botswana academic, Dr Kerileng Mpuang regretted that people with hearing impairment faced discrimination in the community. 

However, she noted that being deaf was not a disability, but a minority group within the community.

Dr Mpuang emphasised the need for all to learn sign language, adding that sign language was a fully fledged visual language developed by its users.

 She, however, said as opposed to other languages, ‘the language is not written and demands visual contacts for its users.’

 The five-day workshop was facilitated by Botswana Society for the Deaf to teach parents sign language to ease communication at home. ENDS