The National Assembly has included South African Sign Language (SASL) as one of the country’s 12 spoken dialects.
It uses physical gestures rather than a voice and listening to communicate.
Until now, the South African Constitution provided for 11 official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.
This comes after years of advocating for the move by the deaf community and its supporters. Sign language is not a tool that deaf people use to communicate, rather it is their primary language or mother tongue.
The move will have far-reaching implications in improving the rights of persons who are hard of hearing or deaf.
Many South Africans may have only seen SASL on television during important State events or important news events when a sign language interpreter is shown on the screen to accommodate those who cannot listen to what is being said.
Jabaar Mohamed, provincial director for DeafSA said, “This is so important for the deaf community to have access to public services like deaf education, inclusive access to hospitals, jobs and so much more.
“The next stage of our work is to strategise on how to implement this into everyday life for use in government departments, schools, police stations, and so on. SASL training will need to be given to hearing people so the two can communicate effectively.”
He hoped people would not feel sorry for deaf people. “We can do anything in life, we just can’t hear well. Treat us as equals as we are all part of the human family.”
He said groups such as DeafSA and others were always willing and able to answer questions people may have about SASL as they aimed to educate the broader community on theirs.
“Although SASL speakers know the language, not all can teach it. There are strict standards for accreditation by DeafSA that must be maintained. Just as not all English speakers can educate others correctly.”
Wits University Language School SALS coordinator Candice Morgan said, “Our beautiful sign language being recognised will open doors to accessibility and success. There will be inclusivity, acceptance, and mostly development that is needed among the deaf community.
“I believe that we should Dream [D- dare R -reach E- encourage A- and M- motivate] yourself and others around you. We need to strive for equality and acceptance in our country. Together we can overcome any obstacles that come our way.”
South African National Deaf Association (Sanda) said sign language should not be confused with gesturing or pantomime. Sign languages were natural languages, systematic and rule-based with distinct vocabularies and grammatical structures. They were just as complex as spoken languages. Most people who lose their hearing later in life or who become hard of hearing, retain spoken language as their preferred means of communication.
Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said of the ruling to include SASL as an official language, “This seeks to advance the cultural acceptance of SASL and culture,” and to:
- Ensure the realisation of the rights of persons who are deaf and hard of hearing to equal protection and benefit of the law and human dignity
- To promote inclusive and substantive equality
- Prevent or eliminate unfair discrimination on the ground of disability, as guaranteed by Section 9 of the Constitution
Interesting facts and statistics
- SASL is not a universal language. Different countries have their sign language and different regions may have their dialects
- 95.6% of deaf people are born to hearing parents and therefore do not learn sign language as their mother tongue
- Sign language is no less descriptive or capable of expression than spoken languages
- South Africa has an estimated four million deaf or hard-of-hearing people
- Up to 64% of babies born to alcoholic mothers may experience hearing loss due to fetal alcohol syndrome.
Why hearing loss may happen:
- Age: As one gets older, it’s normal for your hearing to deteriorate
- Noise: Extreme noise is the cause of half of all cases of hearing loss
- Genes: Hearing loss can be inherited
- Illness: Diseases including measles, meningitis, mumps, and others may harm our ability to hear
- Neurological: Disorders like multiple sclerosis and strokes can affect hearing
- Physical trauma: People who sustain head injuries are especially vulnerable to hearing loss which may be either temporary or permanent.
Here are some tips to communicate better with a deaf or hard-of-hearing person:
- Keep a comfortable distance between you
- Have eye contact before beginning to communicate
- Wait for your turn before signing or speaking
- Keep your face clear without any covering like a mask
- Take your time.
According to the SANDA, children should ideally have their hearing tested several times during their school career:
- When they enter school
- At ages 6, 8, and 10
- At least once during Grades 10 to 12.
Information gathered online from government websites, DeafSA and Sanda
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