Take us seriously – DEAFSA

“GOVERNMENT is paying millions to fake sign language interpreters who see us as a tender box to enrich themselves.”

These were the words of Patricia Kgamane, the Limpopo director of DeafSA, during a DeafSA Indaba at the Nirvana Hall last Wednesday.

She said there were people who claimed to be sign language interpreters and claimed money from government, but abused the language.

“We have been fighting for sign language to be made official. Sign language is real and is equal to Sepedi and other languages. In sign language, eye contact is important. We use our eyes to listen. In Venda, when you greet the chief, your face should look down. Making eye-contact with the chief is a sign of disrespect. In the deaf culture, eye contact is the answer; there is nothing we can do.

“Don’t call us deaf and dumb because other interpretation of dumb is stupid. Respect us, call us deaf. Don’t take us for granted,” said Kgamane.

Kgamane’s concerns were some of the many issues that were discussed during the indaba.

Patrick Tshia, the provincial secretary of Disabled People of South Africa, said they saw a spurt of “deaf professionals”, who were now everywhere.

“Their mandate is to ‘train’ people with disabilities on implementing Convention of of the rights of people living with disabilities (CRPD).

“At such training, you will see academics and professionals who have made CRPD their new business. It is these so-called ‘experts’ who are turning the dynamics of the disability world upside down, taking people with disabilities back to the pre-80s era where we were mere bystanders. Earlier, we were recipients of charity. Now, we are recipients of charity and their pearls of wisdom. All the money and resources are now being pumped towards the work of these CRPD professionals, while poor people working with disabilities and their organisations are left high and dry,” said Tshia.

He said in the past two years, there had been a lot of buzz regarding the post-2015 development agenda and the inclusion of disability.

“About 7.5% of the South African population, representing 2.9 million people, is reportedly disabled. This is the data from the 2011 census, as it stands. Limpopo accounts for 6.9%. According to the report, 2.9% of South Africans have a mild hearing problem, while 0.7% have a severe hearing problem. A total of 1.1% of people reported having a mild communication disability, while 0.4% have severe communication problems,” he said.

“The Constitution enshrines our rights and the various institutions that strengthen the Constitution guarantee our rights. It is high time that we begin to act and take charge.”

Wilfred Leshilo, a curriculum manager of the provincial department of education, said the department was doing its best for people living with disabilities.

“We are going to train sign language facilitators for schools and this should be implemented in 2015 to five special schools with deaf learners in the province. Grades R, 1, 2 and 3 will get sign language as a national curriculum statement and as a subject in 2015 at special schools. Books are not yet adapted, but the process is on. We are still going to send a proposal to parents of learners at Setotolwane LSEN Secondary School to allow gr.12 learners to attend the school for two years before going off to tertiary,” he said.

Leshilo said training for sign language teachers at special schools would start in October and end in November.

“We have an advocacy programme on inclusive education, which will cover 3 974 schools by June next year. We just have a problem with parents who hide their children and report them after 18 years, when they are old for primary schooling,” Leshilo.

Frans Matlou of the Pan African Language Board said they had a programme to promote sign language in Limpopo, but worried that police stations were not yet ready for people using sign language.