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SONAD NEWS SONAD, short for Somali National Association of the Deaf, is the national association of Deaf people within and without Somalia . SONAD represents the diverse interests of Deaf Somalis and is the only Ordinary Member for Somalia at the World Federation of the Deaf in Helsinki , Finland . We are pleased to announce the amazing establishment of Schools for the Deaf in Somalia 's capital, Mogadishu . Amazing because for the first time in the history of Somalia , there are concrete educational opportunities for the Deaf children in Southern Somalia . The road to the establishment of educational institutions for the Deaf in Somalia has been long and painful. From the time of Somalia 's independence from Italy and Britain and even after the fall of the late Dictator Siad Barre, Southern Somalia has had little or no educational opportunities for the Deaf. The war only made the situation worse. Even during the Siad Barre regime no Special Education policy that targets the hearing impaired was available. Somali Sign Language was not accepted due to the discrimination and the oral Somali culture. Moreover without adult role models for Deaf children, the mistaken belief that Deaf people cannot be educated led to a deliberate denial of education leading to a large number of illiterate Deaf and Hard of Hearing citizens. Parents would hide their children believing that they were cursed. Some even feel ashamed to acknowledge their children simply because of their hearing disabilities. Many children were abused physically and called unprintable names. Even the Somali word for ‘Deaf' is the derogatory term ‘Dhagool' , which can be translated as someone with mad and rotten ears. These few examples show that Deaf people in Somalia are a cultural and linguistic minority. This physical and psychological abuse will forever remain imprinted on the minds of Deaf Somali children and adults who have been mistreated for decades. Even the Non Governmental Organizations that run the education system in Somalia conveniently ignore the needs of the Deaf children. Now however things seem to be improving in Somalia . As I write this letter, there are many people are contemplating starting schools for the Deaf. SONAD has been in touch with at least two schools for the Deaf: SOMDHEG School for the Deaf in Mogadishu Somalia and Hargiesa School for the Deaf in Somaliland . These two schools should set the stage for the introduction and spread of Special Education of the Deaf in Somalia and Somali Sign Language. Somali National Association of the Deaf, wishes to thank and encourage the management of these two schools for the Deaf to keep up their good work, and urges the establishment of many more Deaf schools, especially in the interior. To Mogadishu School for the Deaf, and Hargeisa School for the Deaf, we are proud of you. Your efforts will not be in vain and we assure you all of our moral support for this courageous initiative.
The Deaf can be educated. Make no mistake about this. The first Deaf person in Kenya to attend a private university is a Somali Deaf citizen. He had the opportunity to study in a Kenyan school for the Deaf. He was fortunate enough to find a scholarship from primary school to high school because there was no education service for Deaf. He had his share of discrimination and mistreatment in Somalia and part of the efforts to change this led to the formation and establishment of SONAD. Now he is on a full tuition scholarship at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester , New York . If our Deaf children have had the same opportunities, we would now have a vibrant, educated and empowered Deaf Somali community able to defend and advocate for their rights in Somalia .
With two schools for the Deaf serving the two capitals of Somalia , all that is needed is respect for Deaf children's right to education, Sign Language, Deaf Culture and provision of equal opportunities. Sign Language is very important in the education of the Deaf since it is the natural language of the Deaf people. Each country in the world has its own national sign language. News from all over the world continues to confirm that Sign Language meets all the characteristics of a true language and Somali Sign Language is not any different. Of course there will be dialectical differences between the North and South. Even the American Sign Language has different dialects based on region. The United Nations also recognizes the right of Deaf children to education in their national sign language. Therefore teachers should keep in mind the importance of Sign Language in their schools. When a child is fluent is Sign Language it will be easier to teach science, mathematics and languages. The four languages of Somalia , namely English, Somali, Arabic and Italian can even be taught in a school for the Deaf.
Somali Sign Language is relatively young and yet to be developed. Our suggestion is to use whichever Sign Language the teachers feel comfortable with. We know that many teachers in Somalia were trained in Kenyan Sign Language and American Sign Language, the medium of training used in our educationally advanced neighbor, Kenya . But sooner or later the children will begin to assert their indigenous Somali Sign Language and should be encouraged wherever appropriate.
To the parents of Deaf children, kudos for taking your children to school! There are thousands of Deaf children who have overcome their disability, cultural discrimination that the hearing society had imposed upon them and succeeded in life. There are Deaf lawyers, doctors, dentists and university professors. Many Deaf persons in the United States have doctorate degrees. With parental support the Somali Deaf community can overcome its educational challenges to produce the first crop of educated Deaf citizens trained locally.
Secretary General, Somali National Association of the Deaf, Al Mohamed Abdulkadir Mursal |
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