WFD NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF DECEMBER 2010 DEAF EDUCATION IN GAMBIA UNIVERSITY COURSES IN GHANA AND ugANDA 1 AN INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION WITH A SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS IN THE UNITED NATIONS We welcome all news, articles, letters to the editor, and other contributions. We reserve the right of acceptance or rejection and the right to edit all submissions that we publish. Please send all correspondence to: World Federation of the Deaf PO Box 65 00401 Helsinki Finland E-mail: [email protected] CONTENTS Layout Laura Pajunen 3 EDUCATION AND DEAF PEOPLE IN THE GAMBIA 5 NEWS FROM THE WFD 9 WFD GENERAL ASSEMBLY 11 INTERNATIONAL NEWS WFD, the World Federation of the Deaf, is an 12 CHANGING TIMES umbrella organisation providing a wide range 14 NEWS FROM MEMBERS AND PARTNERS of support and advocacy services for national Deaf associations. The World Federation of 17 BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS the Deaf (WFD) was established in 1951 in 18 COMING EVENTS Rome, Italy during the first Deaf World Con- gress. As an international non-governmental organisation, it has a special consultative sta- tus in the United Nations (UN) system, where it is represented at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); the Educational Scien- tific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the International Labour Organization (ILO); and World Health Organization (WHO). It also has participatory status with the Coun- cil of Europe (CoE). WFD currently has 130 national associations of the Deaf as its mem- bers. WFD provides a platform for coop- eration and information exchange among its Cover picture: members and partners. As an international organisation and through national organisa- Pre-School Deaf Children at play at the Nursery School in Kanifing, Gambia by Lucy Upah and Sarah Houge tions, WFD is emphasizing on improving the human rights for Deaf persons, the status of national sign languages, better education for Deaf people, and improved access to infor- mation technology and services. 2 WFD DEAF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING PROJECT IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA EDUCATION AND DEAF PEOPLE IN THE GAMBIA By Lucy Upah and Sarah Houge WFD Western and Central Africa Regional Coordinator & Trainer The Gambia is Africa’s smallest country with a total population of 1.8 million people; there are seven provinces in the nation with Banjul as the capital city. There is no official census of persons with disabilities in the Gambia. However, the Gambia National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GADHOH) in collaboration with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) conducted a research and ascertained that there are around 2,000 Deaf people in the entire country. here is only one Deaf school in the Gambia, three classes and ten students in each class. The first St. John’s School for the Deaf located in Banjul teachers were foreigners and they used the oral method that provides primary and junior secondary for instruction. The school continued to expand but education for the Deaf. The history of Deaf later some Deaf people stopped attending due to the EducationT can be traced back to 1978 where a Canadian lack of sign language usage in the school. Many deaf Priest with the Catholic Mission started an educational students passed out of the school without achieving the programme in the Gambia. However, sign language expected goal of basic literacy. was not used as a medium of classroom instruction n 1993, a woman from the Catholic Mission in during the early years. The educational programme Holland came to the Gambia with an alternative was basically vocational in nature; students were taught educational curriculum for the Deaf using sign vocations such as carpentry, tailoring, hair-making, etc. language. The school then contacted all the former In 1980, The Catholic Mission Church received a Istudents to return to school and learn sign language parcel of land from the government of the Republic from the Dutch woman. This was the beginning of the Gambia on which to build a Deaf School. After of educational instruction using sign language in enough money was raised to build the school, the St. the country. This has resulted in the Gambian Sign John’s School for the Deaf was opened in 1984 with Language (GSL) being heavily influenced by the Sign Language of the Netherlands. Presently, St. John’s School for the Deaf provides education for approximately 200 students from the primary level to Junior High (grade 1 – 9). During the WCAR capacity building training, the participants, most of whom are products of St. John’s School for the Deaf, expressed their desire to complete their education to Senior Level (Grade 12) in order to qualify for entry into the university. The participants and other members of the Gambian Deaf Community expressed frustrations that they are unable to get better paying jobs because of their limited educational qualification; they are unable to further their education because they can hardly pass grade 9 graduation examinations. Our interactions revealed that only very few Deaf individuals (mostly hard of hearing) passed beyond Grade 12 at hearing schools. Signboard of St. John’s School for the Deaf, Banjul 3 iscussions during training revealed that there are issues relating to the Sign Languages used in Deaf Educational programmes in the Gambia. GADHOH has an on-going Dproject for researching, documenting and distributing GSL, which is the Sign Language used in the GADHOH Nursery Schools and by the majority of the Deaf in the Gambia. When the children are transferred to St. John’s School for the Deaf to start primary school, they are then taught in Sign Language of the Netherlands. This has caused some frustrations for community and GADHOH members. GADHOH continues to develop a relationship with St. John’s School for the Deaf and encourage the introduction of GSL as the language of instruction and communication in the school. More worrisome for the members of the Deaf Nursery School in Kanifing, Headquarters of GADHOH in Community is their inability to pass the Junior High Banjul (Grade 9) examination and qualify for Senior High (Grade 10 – 12). They wonder how they are unable to uring the capacity building training session pass the Grade 9 examination after having passed the on Deaf Education, participants shared grades 1 – 8 examinations. Participants and Community their history and experiences with Deaf members agreed that a bottoms-up approach is needed Education in the to improve the issues surrounding DGambia and the efforts that When the children are Deaf Education. Top on the list of GADHOH is making to bring priorities is addressing the generic changes to the educational system. transferred to St. John’s School lack of teachers qualified in GSL In 2003, with the support of the in order to ensure that a bilingual Female Wing, GADHOH began for the Deaf to start primary component is incorporated in the a nursery school programme to teaching curriculum. They also give basic educational foundation school, they are then taught discussed about the potentials of to Deaf children from the age of having a government-run Deaf 1 up to 7 years, when they are old in Sign Language of the School, where much needed enough to start primary school at services such as teachers’ trainings the St. John’s School for the Deaf. Netherlands. and interpretation services In 2006, this programme also are provided. This hopefully extended to Brikama, one of the will address the issue of mass provinces in which GADHOH failure of Grade 9 graduation has a branch office. In 2008, an organisation from examinations and allow Deaf students to continue the Netherlands, Foundation Buganala, built and their education. When this challenge is tackled, it would commissioned a Nursery School for pre-school Deaf then be time for GADHOH to engineer the process of children at the site of the current GADHOH head advocacy for the establishment of a Deaf High School office. In 2009, GADHOH also commissioned a in the Gambia. Nursery School in Brikama with support from the GADHOH looks forward to the partnership and Netherlands. support of the WCAR Secretariat in the near future to advocate for changes in Deaf education in the Gambia. Pre-School Deaf Children at play at the Nursery School in WCAR Training participants empowered and motivated for Kanifing change! 4 NEWS FROM THE WFD WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF HEALTH RESOURCES INITIATIVE: STEPS FORWARD TO HEALTH CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR DEAF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE The WFD Health Resources Initiative aims to improve health and mental health of Deaf people, reduce health problems amongst Deaf people and achieve a greater support for Deaf people accessing health services. The project contributes to research about the Hospital of St John of God in Linz financially health situation of Deaf people and leads towards supports the first phase of the project, which is a strengthened worldwide network and know- realized in cooperation between the Center for the how exchange of health and mental health care Deaf Linz, within the Institute of Neurology of programmes for Deaf people based on examples Senses& Language and the World Federation of the of good practice. Focusing on cultural and Deaf (WFD). The project has relevance for all linguistic needs of all Deaf people, the projects Deaf people health programmes worldwide, it is cultural and socio-economic diversity will lead especially designed to enhance existing health all participants to a deeper understanding of services for Deaf people but also serves to support health challenges throughout the world of the the development of new services by Deaf. providing technical and human resources support. The WFD Health Resources Initiative developed through the WFD Expert working group on Contact: Health Center for the Deaf Health and Mental Health is working to Prim.