Parents learn to talk with their deaf children

By Patrick Muthuri

In normal circumstances, parents look forward to the day their child will say the first word. But when the child passes the milestone without uttering a word, most parents are left confused and unable to communicate. Others receive news of their children’s inability to hear with shock and denial.

However, they must overcome the shock and learn how to communicate with their deaf children through sign language.

Knowledge of sign language is limited to few people hence curtailing hte child’s ability to relate with other children and make friendship beyond his or her family. This leads to social exclusion.

The worst bit is when some parents give up on learning sign language and pass on the reponsibility to teachers in schools for the deaf. Besides, sign language is not easily accessible, say, like learning French.

Without communication between parent and child, the relationship is adversely affected.

To address this state of affairs among families with children with hearing impairment in Tharaka Nithi County, Plan International has started teaching parents sign language, to empower them use sign language competently.

This will enable parents monitor their children’s progress in school and discuss with them how to improve. The parents will also discuss their children’s challenges with teachers, explains Ali Mohammed, Plan International Tharaka Protection Unit education programme officer.

Mohammed says most children whose parents don’t understand the language are unwilling to go home during school holidays and prefer staying with the teachers who understand their needs.

“At home, the children can’t communicate with their parents. When parents come to visit their children in school, they have to rely on teachers’ information only, which is not good. We want to help these parents understand sign language because communication breakdown hurts children,” he says.

Communication vital

Parents of deaf children The Standard talked to said they haven’t learnt the language because of ignorance (not seeing the need to) or inaccessibility of trainers or training facilities.

Francis Mung’atia, a parent whose son is deaf, attended the four-day workshop. Mung’atia says, like many parents who discover that their child is deaf, he started looking for treatment and a special school and rarely did he see communication as an important aspect.

He reveals that he has never communicated well with his son since he was born because he was unfamiliar with sign language.

“I have never spoken to my child because I did not know how to use signs. I just took him to Kamatunga School for the Deaf. It was a big problem identifying his needs,” Mung’atia says.

He says most parents, once they find out their child is deaf, get depressed.

“Failing to accept and identify with the challenges of the child hinders any attempt to learn sign language. I urge such parents not to hide their deaf children but come out and get skills on how to communicate with them.”

Kibaara Nthiga a sign language teacher says teachers in schools for the deaf often do all the communication with the child and give feedback to the parent.

Rarely do parents seek to learn the language to communicate with their children.

Lose touch

“It is very important for parents to learn sign language because it will ease the teachers’ burden. I encourage parents to learn and use the language to avoid losing touch with their children,” Nthiga advises.

Theresa Gatumi, whose daughter is deaf, admits that it was difficult for her to come to terms with the hearing disability of her child since she did not have any experience with the deaf.

“It was very hard for me to accept the condition of my child and kept hoping that she would hear and talk one day.  I kept wondering how I could know when the child was sick. I couldn’t imagine that she could not hear my songs,” Gatumi says, sadness engulfing her.

She notes that society is yet to embrace deaf people and this denies those with hearing impairment an opportunity to freely interact. This delays their social maturity.

“Some people think deaf people are possessed by demons or their condition is a result of a curse. This attitude makes some parents hide their children from society,” she laments

Nthiga says the only way to make the deaf children feel accepted and boost their self-esteem is having role model parents who can understand their language. The children have a lot of love and once the parents are able to communicate with them, they will enjoy this abundant love, he says.

Gatumi acknowledges that most of the problems she has faced as a parent of a deaf child could have been prevented if she had learnt sign language early.

With the new Constitution providing for equal opportunities for all,  Mohammed urges all Kenyans to learn Kenyan Sign Language.

“We can only achieve equality when handling the disabled if we can communicate with them,” Mohammed remarks.

Now, Plan International now wants the Ministry of Education to introduce Kenyan Sign Language into the school curriculum to deal with the seclusion of the deaf people in the public due to communication barrier.

Speaking recently at Kaaga School for the Deaf in Meru, Kenya Society for Deaf Children director Macarius Gathenya called on religious, learning and other public institutions to involve services of sign language interpreters in their programmes so as to benefit the deaf in the community.