Final Year Students Promote Deaf Awareness

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This year’s Deaf Awareness Week had UKZN’s Westville Campus Quad abuzz with games and infotainment, attracting staff and students alike.

The organising final year Audiology class invited the University community to show up and showcase their singing and dancing ability during a talent show offering lots of prizes.

The day’s activities included face painting, thee-legged as well as egg and spoon races, sign poetry performances, sign language lessons, and what was called a Spring Walk outside the campus Risk Management Office where participants planted a tree to celebrate Spring!

The purpose of Deaf Awareness Week is to draw attention to deaf people, their accomplishments and their issues globally. The week is dedicated to educating the public about hearing loss, deafness, deaf culture and sign language with the aim being to help hearing people understand deafness and the culture of the deaf community.

Audiology is a healthcare profession concerned with the scientific study and practice involving both normal and disordered hearing. It is closely related to the fields of Speech-Language Pathology, Medicine, Special Education, Psychology, and Hearing Aid Instrumentation.

Final-year student, Ms Minette Lister, said she felt the deaf and hard of hearing community in South Africa was misunderstood because of verbal communication challenges.  ‘Sign language is so cool,’ she said, stating that deaf people were some of the world’s most intelligent but were often overlooked. 

Classmates, Ms Nomvuyo Ngcobo and Ms Slindile Dlamuka, said audiology was a very rewarding profession. ‘Communication is very important and we bring change to people’s lives.  Sign language is more than using your hands to communicate as expressions and all body language are as important’

Participants received information booklets commemorating the day and reminding them how to sign.

The day’s proceedings were also enjoyed by third year student, Ms Monalisa Mzindle, who said she and her peers looked forward to planning for 2016’s Deaf Awareness Week as final year students.

‘We’re very happy that our students have embraced deafness and deaf culture. Our Discipline is very concerned with hearing and hearing loss,’ said Audiology Academic Leader, Dr Neethie Joseph.

Joseph’s research interests include investigating the use of sign language between deaf children and their parents. She said participation and communication were very important for deaf people and expressed the need to promote the fight for the use of sign language in South Africa.

Lunga Memela