The disabled in Saudi Arabia must navigate a confusing combination of legal protections, social challenges, and changing attitudes.
One of the most visible of these groups are the deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Saudi Arabia has progressed in embracing the rights of deaf people, providing some level of legal recourse, and striving to be more accessible, but a lot is to be done for deaf people to be integrated into society.
To be able to ascertain how far the nation has traveled towards inclusion, an examination of the existing legal framework for people with hearing disabilities is necessary.
Legal Framework for People with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia
The Disability Rights Law, which was promulgated to provide for the treatment of persons with disabilities with dignity, equal access to services, and the freedom to engage in society to their fullest, generally governs the rights of persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia.
The law provides general protection and provisions, from accessibility to education and employment.
Saudi Arabia signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2017.
This international treaty focuses on the rights of individuals with disabilities to live in freedom, with dignity, and with equal opportunity to participate in society.
Saudi Arabia pledged to provide a more favorable environment for individuals with disabilities, including those with hearing disabilities, by signing this treaty.
Although the rate of change has been slower than most would prefer, this step has had a growing impact on the legal and social reforms of the country.
The Saudi Disability Code, which was also adopted in the country, emphasizes how important it is to provide equality in the employment sector, public spaces, and education system.
Granting access to basic services and rights for individuals with disabilities, including the deaf, this crucial step must be undertaken.
Education for the Deaf in Saudi Arabia
One of the most critical components of empowering individuals with disabilities, especially the deaf, is education.
Saudi Arabia has special schools for deaf children.
The schools make use of sign language and other tools for guaranteeing that there is an inclusive environment.
Saudi Sign Language, which was developed within the country, was used as the main language of communication in these schools for many years.
In spite of these advances, there are still difficulties.
Perhaps the most urgent problem is the provision of higher education for deaf students.
Although the majority of Saudi Arabian colleges and universities have moved forward in the accessibility of education for students with disabilities, the hard of hearing might not always have easily found access to such facilities.
Access to communication and information continues to be a major barrier even though special academic programs and support services are available for deaf students.
This includes sign language interpreters and captioning services, which might not be present in most institutions.
Prioritizing accessibility at all educational levels—and not just secondary and primary schools—is what is required for a society to be fully inclusive.
Deaf learners must be granted equal opportunity and support at the tertiary level if they are to succeed academically and thus transition to productive members of society.
Employment Opportunities for the Deaf
Deaf people in Saudi Arabia continue to face great obstacles in the job market.
Though Saudi law forbids discrimination based on disability in the workplace, reality is different.
The majority of employers either don’t know about or are not disposed to implement changes deaf workers need to be successful on the job.
This includes creating appropriate communication channels in the workplace, having sign language interpreters at employment interviews, or modifying working conditions to enable deaf employees to conduct their work adequately.
One program that the government of Saudi Arabia has adopted to help integrate people with disabilities into the labor market is the Tawteen Program, which encourages corporations to employ more people with disabilities.
It is still not straightforward for deaf people to find good jobs, though.
Deaf people have extra barriers to finding work because of the general lack of awareness and the scarcity of support services, like sign language interpreters or communication equipment.
Moreover, many companies in Saudi Arabia remain unaware of what deaf people can do, viewing their disability as a limitation rather than an advantage.
This encourages a culture of misunderstanding and lost opportunity.
Further training and education can empower deaf people, as well as employers and fellow workers, to better adjust to the workplace.
Accessibility and Social Integration
Saudi Arabia has taken some positive steps toward making public buildings and services more accessible to the deaf, but much more needs to be done before these buildings are truly accessible.
Accessibility for the deaf is less discussed, although ramps and other public amenities for the physically disabled are available in most public buildings today.
Deaf people find it difficult to manage daily life because public transportation, recreational centers, and government offices usually don’t provide services like sign language interpretation or visual information.
Social integration is another area that must be explored.
Though Saudi Arabian society is becoming more aware of disabilities, they remain stigmatized, even hidden disabilities like hearing loss.
Due to the lack of communications devices or a general public’s knowledge of sign language, deaf people experience a high degree of social isolation.
Since most Saudi Arabians have no knowledge of deaf culture or the deaf’s needs, this social gulf persists.
Promoting awareness of the deaf community and disability awareness training programs for the population at large could go a long way towards social integration and attitude transformation.
Besides helping deaf people, such a transformation would enrich Saudi society’s social cohesion and cultural heritage.
Current Developments and Challenges Ahead
Saudi Arabia has done something in recent years to enhance the lot of the disabled in general, and the hearing disabled specifically.
One of the most significant steps has been the initiation of the Accessible Saudi Arabia project that is dedicated to making public areas more accessible.
Under this project, sign language interpretation programs will be implemented and visual communication systems encouraged in public offices, health centers, and other basic services.
In addition to this, increasing numbers of schools are starting to make sign language a mandatory part of the curriculum, a move that will serve to help the deaf community in the long run.
There are probably going to be more and more such movements as awareness grows, spurred both by civil society movement and also by government intervention.
In spite of the advances, there is still a lot to be accomplished prior to the realization of full social inclusion.
For deaf people, there are still huge disparities in employment, education, and service delivery.
To embrace inclusion and not simply meet the demands of the law, the attitudes of society must continue to change.
The rights of the deaf in Saudi Arabia can only be fully achieved through continued advocacy, awareness, and broad legal reform.
Conclusion
Saudi Arabia is slowly but surely acknowledging and protecting the rights of people with disabilities, specifically the deaf.
Progress is being felt through a combination of government sponsorship, education, and legal reform.
For those who are looking for additional support, Unspoken Language Services offers interpreting services to help bridge the communication gap between the deaf and hearing communities.
Thumbnail Photo by: Sami TÜRK
