Linekela Nanyeni, the Executive Director of the Namibian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD), emphasised on Wednesday that the hearing impaired community is not fully exercising its rights due to the lack of sign language interpreters in most institutions and services.

Nanyeni made these comments during a peaceful march organised for Deaf Awareness Week, operating under the theme, ‘A world where the deaf everywhere can sign anywhere.’ During this event, the hearing impaired community presented a petition to Lydia Kandetu, the Secretary General of the National Assembly.

Kandetu acknowledged that there are currently two hearing impaired employees working in Parliament and mentioned that more individuals with hearing impairments would soon join the workforce. She assured that Parliament would review the petition and provide a response.

During an interview with Nampa at the petition handover, Nanyeni expressed how challenging it is for the hearing impaired community to access basic services in the country due to communication barriers. He lamented the fact that, despite being an independent country, many institutions lack sign language interpreters, making communication difficult for the hearing impaired.

Furthermore, the Executive Director emphasised that there is a widespread lack of awareness regarding sign language and interpretation within the country’s institutions.

Uushona Peter, the Vice-Chairperson of NNAD, conveyed the community’s desire for Namibia to officially recognise and grant national status to sign language.

Peter pointed out that neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and South Africa provide full human rights to their deaf populations because their sign languages are legally recognised. He noted that, among African nations, only Zimbabwe, Kenya, and most recently, South Africa, have fulfilled the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD’s) call and complied with its conventions.

Peter urged Namibia to grant the deaf community its full rights, as it would facilitate easier access to employment opportunities for deaf individuals, and that employers would be more likely to provide accommodation and ensure effective communication in the workplace when the national sign language is officially recognised.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency