News

The deaf are not heard in South Africa

19 January 2012

About 93 percent of deaf South Africans are unemployed – more than three times the national average, according to the National Institute for the Deaf (NID).

This was raised on 17 January 2012 during a parliamentary hearing into the proposed SA Languages Bill, which aims to give effect to language rights provided for in the constitution.

While the constitution requires the government to “promote and create conditions for the development and use” of sign language – as with the Khoi, Nama and San languages – it stops short of recognising it as one of eleven official languages.

This is despite the fact that sign language constitutes the fifth-largest language group in South Africa, surpassing the number of people who speak official languages such as Ndebele, Venda and Tsonga, according to NID director, Ernest Kleinschmidt.

NID executive director, Deon de Villiers, explained that 47 schools catering for deaf children had produced just 17 matriculants in 2011.

Most of these “special needs schools” could accommodate only primary school pupils, leaving deaf and hearing-impaired pupils with the daunting prospect of entering a regular high school which could not cater for their needs.

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