The third annual Central University of Technology (CUT) and University of the Free State (UFS) Silent March will take place on Wednesday, September 16.

Participants will walk from CUT to UFS at 10:00 to stand in solidarity with deaf and hard-of-hearing people, highlighting their rights to communication, accessibility and equal participation, reports Bloemfontein Courant.

Simoné du Preez, CUT disability communication and support officer, says this year’s march carries particular significance under the Deaf Awareness Month theme, ‘Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights’. The event intends to shift the conversation from awareness alone to the rights of deaf people. “The silence is symbolic, but the real focus is on communication access,” she says.

Standing in solidarity

The march uses silence to encourage hearing participants to reflect on communication barriers. “It is about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes and recognising that the barrier is not that deaf people cannot communicate,” Du Preez says. She emphasises that deaf people can communicate fully through South African Sign Language (SASL), but the surrounding environments do not always provide necessary access, adding that communication access is a fundamental right, not a privilege.

The march also seeks to challenge misconceptions that deaf people are less capable or that deafness is something that needs to be fixed. “Deaf people have the same abilities, aspirations and rights as anyone else,” Du Preez said.

Daily responsibility

Du Preez adds that environmental barriers can prevent equal participation, hoping the march will encourage people to see inclusion as an everyday responsibility rather than something discussed only during Deaf Awareness Month. Participants are encouraged to learn SASL, make information accessible, include deaf people in conversations, and consider accessibility when planning events or services.

Du Preez says the most important question for the community to ask is what they can change to ensure deaf people can participate equally. She stressed that inclusion should not be viewed as an act of charity. “I would want people to understand that deaf inclusion is not about doing deaf people a favour; it is about recognising their rights,” she says.

Building equal participation

The march aims to promote awareness of deaf culture, SASL, accessibility and rights, while encouraging Bloemfontein to turn awareness into action. “Deaf people do not need to be included because they are different; they need to be included because they are equal members of society with equal rights,” Du Preez says.

Registration for the march will take place from 08:30 to 09:45 at CUT before the event begins. For more information or to RSVP, contact Du Preez at sdupreez@cut.ac.za.

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