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April 15, 2009
Politicians reach out to the deaf
Representatives from the DA, COPE and the ANC courted at least 300 deaf people at eDeaf's offices in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, at the weekend, hoping to get their vote in the upcoming elections.
Present at the conference were DA leader Helen Zille, COPE's Gauteng premier candidate Lyndall Shope-Mafole, and ANC representative and the country's only deaf MP, Wilma Newhout-Druchen.
Several South African Sign Language interpreters were present to help the deaf and hearing communities understand each other.
A buzz of excitement swept through the crowd as Zille arrived.
And the deaf were there not only to find about the manifestoes but also to articulate their discontent at being marginalised by the government, and to demand better jobs and the same education as "hearing schools", plus access to quality information.
Calling on the deaf to exercise their right to vote, Shope-Mafole said that if elected to office, COPE would get down to business and "do something about sign language first and ensure the deaf will get access to knowledge and information".
Signing to the crowd, Newhout-Druchen said the ANC would "push for change in the Department of Education to implement SASL and improve research into the needs of the deaf community."
Acknowledging that the ANC was not always right, Newhout-Druchen assured the deaf people that SASL had already been billed as the country's 12th official language in the constitution.
"Fighting for our rights is not enough - we must make sure that the law is approved and implemented," Newhout-Druchen signed.
Zille said: "My sister, who is here today, is deaf. If it hadn't been for her and the way she has educated me, I might be as ignorant as most other hearing people are about deafness. Having her as a sister has been a great privilege for me.
"Deafness is not a theoretical issue for me," said Zille.
"It is a very real and personal issue, one that has touched my life more than any other and has made me a more insightful and understanding human being - it has expanded my world."
Acknowledging that society was prejudiced against deaf and disabled people, Zille said the DA was updating its entire disability policy.
"Some of my views regarding what should be included in that policy," Zille said, "are that there should be a far greater recognition for sign language, which is the primary language of an estimated 1,6-million South Africans."
Included in this policy were subtitles on TV, and "a focus on rights of access for all people with disabilities, be that mobility impairment, blindness or deafness", Zille added.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20090330055956117C807697
Posted by 4HL on April 15, 2009 7:51 AM
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