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This presentation by PanSALB to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee provides an overview of the development, use, and promotion of South African Sign Language (SASL) and highlights the challenges faced in ensuring its recognition and accessibility for the deaf community.
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PARLIAMNETARY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE PRESENTATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT, USE AND PROMOTION OF SOUTH AFRICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
Table of Contents Introduction Background PanSALB’s Programming Approach Programmes - Awareness Campaigns Funding-based Programmes Partnership-based Programmes Challenges Conclusion
Introduction The Pan South African Language Board is please to be a present the status of SASL to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities. In response to the invitation PanSALB will be briefing the Committee on its continuous support of services for persons with disabilities, the Deaf in particular. Our support is through various programmes and projects implemented in partnership with different stakeholders.
Background • The dawn of democracy and the inclusion of Sign Language in the constitution created space for the Deaf to participate in the development and other activities of this country thus giving a linguistic right to 412 421 profoundly Deaf and 1 237 264 extremely hard-of-hearing people (2001 Statistics SA Census). • Since 1996, SASL has been recognised as the language of learning and teaching for the majority of Deaf learners in South Africa as can be seen in the Education White Paper 6. • Recognising the situations outlined above, PanSALB identified a need to put in place awareness campaigns whose purpose is to: • Assist the Deaf to come out openly about their access services (education opportunities, social services, etc.) like other South African citizens, equal education opportunities and therefore, SASL interpreter services. • Conscientise the hearing about deafness, Deaf culture and SASL Interpreting services.
PanSALB’s Programming Approach Programmes and projects implemented by PanSALB are in line with the following: • The recognition of SASL as part of languages of South Africa; • Creation of space and environments that ensure the use and development of SASL such that it operates in all key domains of society; • Ensuring that PanSALB and relevant bodies attend to the developmental needs of SASL; • Providing advice to relevant bodies and individuals on SASL and strategies of promoting it as part of multilingualism in South Africa; • Monitoring the implementation of projects and programmes that promote the development and use of SASL; and • Protect the linguistic rights of the Deaf.
Challenges • High unemployement rate of Deaf people – no single Deaf person is employed in the Departments visited by PanSALB (e.g. SAPS, Health, Social Services in De Aar and Upington District Municipalities); • Discrimination and abuse of Deaf people in general and particulalrly in organs of state; • Non-observance and violation of linguistic rights of Deaf people; • Uncoordinated effort in the development of SASL; • There are forty eight schools for the Deaf in the country with only one in the Northern Cape province; • There is a shortage of accredited SASL service providers in the country; • Workers at most public institutions are not literate / conversant in SASL. This creates barriers in service delivery; • SASL is a visual language with no pre developed spelling and orthography rules. This in itself requires extensive consultation with stakeholders with a solid funding base; and • Training programmes have been discontinued due to lack of funding.
Conclusion Continued promotion of the development and use of SASL remains one of PanSALB’s priority. This is captured in our strategic objectives. Our commitment to address the linguistic needs of the Deaf community are further addressed in our latest Strategy Document that is currently being finalised.
