07 Dec 2020

Director of Botswana Society for the Deaf (BSD), Ms Mokgosi Mokgosi has appealed to stakeholders to consider hiring more deaf persons in their organisations.  

Speaking in an interview with BOPA, she said BSD’s mandate was fulfilling the needs of people with hearing impairment, including the promotion of the interests and welfare of the deaf population, noting  however, she noticed that there was a huge gap when it came to placement of work.

“In the first instance when a deaf person knocks on an employer’s door, the first thing that comes to both their minds, is the issue of communication and in most times this communication breakdown often becomes a hindrance,” she said.

Ms Mokgosi further explained that a hindrance of this nature was an infringement of a deaf person’s right hence BSD’s intense lobbying to stakeholders to absorb them into their organisations. 

She explained that in 2011, the organisation partnered with GIPS institution to offer ICT certificate courses to some individuals of the deaf community. 

She also commended some companies who had employed some of the graduates, noting however the number of graduates who were still unemployed was high.  

In an interview with one of the graduates, employed by a fresh produce store based in Gaborone Mr Carem Jackalas said that he was grateful for the opportunity that was afforded to him four years ago.

He said he was very nervous during his first few months on duty but he made up his mind to put all his efforts in proving himself hence being promoted to a senior position. “Communication between my co- workers and I proved to be a huge challenge but as we grew closer, we were able to close the gap by teaching them basic sign language,” he explained.

Mr Jackalas further pleaded with deaf community to apply themselves in whatever task they embarked on and urged them to get into contact with BSD to work towards increasing public awareness of the needs of the deaf. ends