Manad calls for increased use of sign language

Malawi National Association for the Deaf (Manad) researcher Nelson Simbeye on Tuesday appealed to various organisations to help break communication barriers between the deaf and the hearing community by mainstreaming sign language.

He made the remarks in Mzimba when his organisation briefed the M’Mbelwa Council Executive Committee on the sign language dictionary and advocacy work aimed at highlighting issues affecting the deaf.

Simbeye said there have been growing complaints from the deaf community on current affairs due to sign  language barriers.

“Most deaf people fail to communicate. For instance, there are cases when our members would go to the hospitals but have problems to communicate their problems to the doctor; hence, doctors fail to grasp their problems, resulting in misdiagnosis of their health problems,” he said.

He said there is need to train social service provider institutions in sign language.

He said the deaf also face challenges when accessing justice because police officers and court staff do not understand sign language.

Simbeye said the dictionary for the deaf, which is being distributed for free nationwide, gives people a chance to learn sign language.

Mzimba district director of education, youth and sports Fiddes Msowoya said the dictionary will be handy by enabling many people, including teachers and learners to communicate easily in educational institutions.

Malawi has about 377 000 deaf, people according to the 2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census.