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The Swazi Observer
MEMBERS of organisations of persons living with disabilities have called for amendment of the constitution to include sign language and Braille as official languages.
Presently the constitution recognises only English and Siswati as official Languages. In their moving presentation before an attentive audience at Esibayeni Lodge yesterday, the Swaziland Association of Visually Impaired Persons (SAVIP) and Swaziland National Association of the Deaf (SNAD) noted that a respectable percentage of Swazis formed part of the community living with disabilities. This was during the language consultative workshop hosted by Siswati Language board under auspices of ministry of education and sponsored by Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA).
Persons living with disabilities form three percent of the population (over 30 000) according to the 1997 census. SAVIP’s Joshua Simelane reiterated that there was need for language policy documents in English to be not only translated to Siswati, as some participants alluded, but also Braille for the benefit of visually impaired persons. “Our recommendation as persons living with disabilities, we need to have sign language included as one of the official languages and Braille for the benefit of our members. Our advice is that each line ministry should employ sign language experts for ease of communication with government departments. “Again, we’ve noted that in recent years persons living with disabilities were included in beauty pageants (as seen with Miss Deaf) but we would like to take such concepts forward and avail space such as hosting dancing competitions and others where the group of persons could display their talents,” Simelane said. His speech was echoed by Makhosini Makhubu from SNAD. Makhubu said as the deaf people in Swaziland they were a minority population but still wanted to be availed space and not trampled upon by the majority who do not communicate in sign language.
He said government had not demonstrated respect for sign language thus far hence its exclusion from the constitution. “We are not speaking sign language imported from US or Britain but Siswati. After more than 20 years, we are still discriminated upon as the deaf,” said Makhubu.
He said they were experiencing a lot of problems, even seeking intervention from Pan SA Language Board representative Edward Sambo in this regard having first engaged government on their plight in 1992. “We’ve not reaped any fruits from the discussions with government hence we seek your intervention”.
In response, Sambo said the deaf association could get in touch with an organisation working in close proximity with the SA Language Board for assistance in addressing their concerns. Echoing the concerns, Save the Children Swaziland’s Communications Officer Elizabeth Kgololo whose organisation houses associations of disabled persons, said it was a pity sign language and Braille had been left out of the constitution.
She said leaving out sign language was a big mistake because this was the only mode of communication through that could be used by the disabled persons. “We support them (disabled persons) and strongly advocate for the amendment of the constitution for sign language inclusion,” Kgololo said.
MEMBERS of organisations of persons living with disabilities have called for amendment of the constitution to include sign language and Braille as official languages.
Presently the constitution recognises only English and Siswati as official Languages. In their moving presentation before an attentive audience at Esibayeni Lodge yesterday, the Swaziland Association of Visually Impaired Persons (SAVIP) and Swaziland National Association of the Deaf (SNAD) noted that a respectable percentage of Swazis formed part of the community living with disabilities. This was during the language consultative workshop hosted by Siswati Language board under auspices of ministry of education and sponsored by Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA).
Persons living with disabilities form three percent of the population (over 30 000) according to the 1997 census. SAVIP’s Joshua Simelane reiterated that there was need for language policy documents in English to be not only translated to Siswati, as some participants alluded, but also Braille for the benefit of visually impaired persons. “Our recommendation as persons living with disabilities, we need to have sign language included as one of the official languages and Braille for the benefit of our members. Our advice is that each line ministry should employ sign language experts for ease of communication with government departments. “Again, we’ve noted that in recent years persons living with disabilities were included in beauty pageants (as seen with Miss Deaf) but we would like to take such concepts forward and avail space such as hosting dancing competitions and others where the group of persons could display their talents,” Simelane said. His speech was echoed by Makhosini Makhubu from SNAD. Makhubu said as the deaf people in Swaziland they were a minority population but still wanted to be availed space and not trampled upon by the majority who do not communicate in sign language.
He said government had not demonstrated respect for sign language thus far hence its exclusion from the constitution. “We are not speaking sign language imported from US or Britain but Siswati. After more than 20 years, we are still discriminated upon as the deaf,” said Makhubu.
He said they were experiencing a lot of problems, even seeking intervention from Pan SA Language Board representative Edward Sambo in this regard having first engaged government on their plight in 1992. “We’ve not reaped any fruits from the discussions with government hence we seek your intervention”.
In response, Sambo said the deaf association could get in touch with an organisation working in close proximity with the SA Language Board for assistance in addressing their concerns. Echoing the concerns, Save the Children Swaziland’s Communications Officer Elizabeth Kgololo whose organisation houses associations of disabled persons, said it was a pity sign language and Braille had been left out of the constitution.
She said leaving out sign language was a big mistake because this was the only mode of communication through that could be used by the disabled persons. “We support them (disabled persons) and strongly advocate for the amendment of the constitution for sign language inclusion,” Kgololo said.