SIGN language has the power to save the life of a deaf person. This is according to Nicky Bezuidenhout, marketing manager at eDeaf, who spoke at an awareness event on Friday, September 3.
The event, which coincided with Casual Day, was hosted by Berea SAPS in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Deaf Association and eDeaf KZN.
Speaking about the importance of sign language and the work done by eDeaf, Bezuidenhout said, “South Africans are encouraged to speak out when there is a problem however, that’s an issue for the deaf community because many people don’t understand them. Deaf people can do anything, except hear. eDeaf strives to improve the social and economic lives of the deaf community, through a variety of empowerment and skills development programmes. By adding value, not only to the individuals we train, we create employable deaf individuals who are able to contribute to the economy.”
When the programme began, attendees were shown a heart-breaking video called DEAFinition: Speak Out!. The video centred around a young deaf actress who highlights the struggles faced by people with hearing impairments. The actress is seen reaching out for help from a police office and doctor by using sign language.
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“We are trying to raise awareness so people who have no knowledge of sign language can learn at a basic level and they can assist deaf people. They are a lot of service providers that are not trained in basic sign language in South Africa. If a deaf person wants to report a crime, there are not enough police trained in basic sign language and in hospitals,” said Bezuidenhout.
Speaking to the Berea Mail, Captain Poobalan Naidoo, spokesperson for the Berea SAPS said, they will consider learning sign language. Naidoo said eDeaf has also offered to assist with deaf victims and suspects.
A teacher, Sanele Ngwane demonstrated some basic sign language to police officials to assist them when a deaf person comes to the police station.
For more information on eDeaf, email info@edeaf.co.za.
