South Africa, known as the “Rainbow Nation,” is diverse, with 11 official languages and cultural mixing. For a country referred to as a melting pot, the state of equality for many minority communities doesn’t measure up to its reputation, especially for deaf people.

On the other hand, the situation constantly evolves as policies are implemented. In this post, we’ll learn more about the support for the deaf community in South Africa. 

Sign Language in South Africa

South African Sign Language (SASL) is an official form of Sign Language, recognized in May this year, and used by over 600,000 deaf people in the country. However, it’s not the only Sign Language used. It acts as a default language for the South African deaf community. 

Since oralism is still heavily pushed in the country, there are around 12 signed oral languages that the deaf community uses and each of these languages is formed within its distinctive group. 

Culture of the South African Deaf Community

There isn’t one deaf community in South Africa. It’s a diverse country, to begin with. Different tribes have distinct cultures, and so are deaf people. The one thing we have talked about time and time again is Sign Language as the foundation of deaf culture. Those who do not use SASL or accept it as a form of communication probably won’t be accepted by that community. 

Accessibility in South Africa

Societal issues already exist in South Africa, but this is especially the case for the deaf community. The inaccessibility for deaf people stems from the cultural stigma and the lack of awareness of the needs of this community. It leads to discrimination in many areas of daily life. 

Support Systems for the Deaf: The Current Situation

Education

Access to quality education is the foundation for a promising future. Currently, 43 deaf schools teach using SASL. The small amount of deaf schools sounds promising, but there’s a systematic issue at hand. The Conversation, in collaboration with the Deaf Centre at Wits University in South Africa, reports that deaf teachers at these schools aren’t required to be deaf or have specialized skills in educating people with special academic needs.

Therefore, this creates an issue with teaching a curriculum. The teachers are encouraged to take Sign Language classes, but a study shows that most don’t. The educators at these deaf schools don’t even get tested on their Sign Language skills or receive proper training. That puts deaf students at a disadvantage and highlights the flaws in the education system.

Sadly, it’s not the teachers who suffer. It is the deaf students. They have one of the lowest literacy rates in the country. Low literacy rates and a struggling curriculum for deaf schools continued a vicious cycle. This cycle leads to a not-so-prosperous future. 

However, since SASL became constitutionally recognized, teachers must do mandatory training to teach in these deaf schools. The same thing is happening in mainstream education, where deaf students go through bilingual education that may benefit them. That is a monumental change for the deaf community in their right to an education. 

Healthcare

The number one issue for deaf patients anywhere in the world is the communication barrier. Since SASL became an official language, communication barriers have contributed to 80% of the issues within the system. Most of the doctors and nurses do not speak Sign Language. That is disadvantageous for deaf patients who experience a multitude of miscommunications during their visit. Not only that, it also puts their health at risk.

The healthcare situation is quite contradictory. According to South Africa Health Review 2020, South Africa has a very accessible healthcare system. Yet, the deaf population throughout the country suffers from the language barrier. Indigenous languages are recognized, making the process better for those groups. However, deaf people face so much stigma now from both ends, society and the healthcare system. Sign Language is still marginalized, despite becoming an official language this year. 

Few solutions in this industry have been effective for deaf patients. The problem is the lack of interpreters available, so some take it into their own hands. Requesting the doctor to write down comments and notes, which a doctor usually has to do. Full-on explanations are necessary for the deaf patient, but it’s a nuisance and takes too much time. Another way that people have tried to navigate the barrier is by having friends or family interpret it. The issues here are evident because of the complex medical terms and conveying those meanings accurately. 

No interpreters lead to misdiagnosis, late diagnosis, and other detrimental results. Luckily, the Health and Human Rights Programme at the University of Cape Town provides free medical translation services to those patients who need it. It has tremendous results for deaf patients and makes consultation, treatment, and diagnoses less stressful.

Social Assistance Programs

How society views the minority deaf community affects their quality of life. The everyday barriers start with communication first and foremost. The lack of communication leads to limited access to education, healthcare, and other areas that make a normal and healthy lifestyle. 

Development Pathways studied how social protections can benefit deaf communities in Africa in 2018. Many factors in South Africa lead to an unsatisfactory life. It is an unequal country because the ratio between high-income and low-income is a big divide. That affects deaf people and others with disabilities who want a fruitful life.

Shortly after the Apartheid, South Africa invested in social assistance aimed at lower-income communities and people with disabilities. The scheme around this is to make benefits accessible to those who desperately need it. As with any system, it has flaws and loopholes.

In 2007, South Africa was one of the first countries to adopt the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is essentially a commitment to disability equality, but South Africa doesn’t have a specific legalization to outlaw discrimination against deaf people, so there is a gap in this area.

The number of people receiving social assistance is somewhere a little over 16 million, but there is still close to 40% of the population that the aid hasn’t reached yet. These are namely disabled people living in extreme poverty. The overall barriers to accessing social assistance include; communication, physical access like making a government office deaf-friendly, and deaf people accused of abusing the system.

Deaf Associations and Organizations

Despite some systematic injustices, South Africa has organizations that protect the deaf community. These are mainly NGOs and non-profit organizations like SANDA (South Africa National Deaf Association) that work with the government in areas like education, health, and economic development to support and empower the deaf community. In addition, The Deaf Federation of South Africa has core values of achieving inclusiveness for the deaf community to be regular members of society and breaking down barriers that stop them from participating.

Both programs bring awareness and change to the deaf community in South Africa. Through these efforts, they hope to achieve full equality for the deaf community.

It takes time and action to work more toward an inclusive society. You can find out more about how the deaf community is working towards equality in everyday life by visiting, unspokenasl.com

Thumbnail Photo Credit to: Photo by Taryn Elliott