Empowering the deaf community
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department, Altech Radio Holdings and eDEAF recently celebrated International Week of the Deaf.
International Week of the Deaf is celebrated annually by deaf people worldwide during the last full week of September.
According to EMPD spokesperson Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago, the campaign is about increasing solidarity among deaf people and their allies, and is used to stimulate greater efforts to promote the rights of deaf people.
“The deaf community is one of the most marginalised groups in South Africa,” he said.
“Because of the fact that they cannot communicate freely with the hearing world, they are often regarded as incompetent or not intelligent, and not fit to be employed.”
Working hand-in-hand with eDeaf, several companies, such as the EMPD and Altech Radio, have taken the step of employing deaf persons with great success, proving that, in some career fields, the deaf can be just as good or even better than hearing employees.
“It is a documented fact that deaf employees are more effective in certain disciplines, due to the fact that they are not easily distracted,” said Kgasago.
The Metro Police and Altech Radio Holdings, who are contracted to the EMPD in the administration of prosecution processes, currently have 14 deaf persons in their employment.
It is hoped that more deaf persons will be employed in the future.
