By Nkaba Molamu
The Office of the Premier in Limpopo held a Sign Language Day on September 23, with the theme #BuildingInclusiveCommunitiesForAll at Mmanare Secondary School in Moletji village.
Learners were taught basic signs used in sign languages such as for letters of the alphabet and days of the week. Learners showed curiosity by asking questions about deaf culture and how someone who is deaf without hands can communicate using sign language.
Selaelo Makgatho, director of special programmes at the Premier’s office led the international sign language day by informing learners about institutions that offer sign language careers, such as Wits University, University of Free State and University of Northwest. “In the courts of law, Parliament, on televisions screens, persons with various disabilities are brought forward to showcase their capabilities.”
Makgatho said Mmanare Secondary School was chosen as part of bringing science labs and libraries to rural schools, “and also try to remove the stigmatisation that people in rural areas have about disability”.
One of the learners from Mmanare Secondary, Koketso Johanna Seroto (17), told Thisability that now that she had learned the basic signs used in sign language, she would teach others so that they could also be able to provide information and directions to someone who is deaf.
“From today I know how to spell and sign my names. I will inform people from my community about schools that cater for persons with disabilities so that if they have children with disabilities in their homes, they can take them to special schools where they will have access to education without any challenge,” said Seroto.
Sign language interpreter Mathenji Johannes Maisela said many communities have persons with various disabilities including deafness, so everyone should learn to accept people with that condition because “there is absolutely nothing wrong with them”.
“September is a month in which we celebrate heritage and also, we raise awareness for persons with albinism and [deafness], to show that indeed we can live with persons who are deaf and communicate with them effectively through the use of sign language,” Maisela added.
Mmanare Secondary School principal Mariam Setwaba told Thisability, “One man once said we are born single,we get married we become two, but we die single. So this tells us that we are born abled, but we may become disabled along the way.”
Setwaba added that people should always be grateful for the gift of life in which they have ears that can hear, a mouth that can talk, eyes that can see, and legs that enable them to move from point A to point B without any assistance. “As a community we need to be empathetic and not sympathetic.”
She said the awareness day was an eye opener for their mainstream school in that should a learner lose eyesightor become deaf, now they know what kind of resources would be relevant to enable him/her to learn or for the school to facilitate the learner’s move to a special school.
