Deaf community celebrated with awareness week
The campaign, which runs from September 19-23, serves to raise awareness about the deaf community.
THE International Week of Deaf People is celebrated during the last week of September. According to the World Federation of the Deaf, this year’s theme is: Building Inclusive Communities for All.
The campaign also highlights the importance of sign language which is critical to the cognitive and social development of deaf children.
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“A strong language foundation is necessary to learn other languages,” reads the site.
The International Week of Deaf People coincides with International Day of Sign Languages, an awareness day declared by the United Nations on September 23.
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“Sign languages are fully fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from the spoken languages. There is also an international sign language, which is used by deaf people in international meetings and informally when travelling and socialising,” reads the UN website.
Locally, the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society offers a range of services to the blind and deaf community. These include job placement, education and training. For more information, visit the website, www.bdskzn.org.za.
