Samoa to promote sign language during ‘Week of the Deaf’

20 September 2017, 12:00AM

SENESE is preparing to celebrate International Week of the Deaf (I.W.D) next week, from Monday 25 to Thursday 28 September 2017.

SENESE Inclusive Education Support Services, being one of the organizations that support persons who are deaf, is organizing a week packed with activities to commemorate the week.

The theme of celebration is “Full inclusion with Sign Language.”

It is fitting for a week that is all about campaigning to recognise the rights of persons who are deaf, through the use of sign language to access information and services.

For this year’s celebration, SENESE Inclusive Education Support Services will be taking sign language awareness and training to Savai’i.

This will be the second time SENESE Deaf services will be conducting Deaf and sign language awareness, for staff and passengers on the Lady Samoa Ferry, on Monday 25th September starting at 10am at the Mulifanua wharf. 

The awareness is to teach the public and staff the very basic signs for when buying a ticket, how to sign please and thank you.  

The interpreters will then be travelling on the ferry to teach the public how to order coffee, tea, water and other items from the ferry’s restaurant. 

The idea is for persons who are deaf to feel empowered to use the ferry also for staff and the public to feel comfortable and confident to communicate with persons who are deaf.

Similarly on Wednesday 27th September, this sign language training will be conducted on the Salelologa wharf and on the 2pm ferry to Mulifanua.

On Tuesday 26th September there will be the official opening of I.W.D to be followed by an awareness programme and sign language training for people in Savai’i at the Don Bosco Hall, Salelologa. 

Travelling with the Deaf Services team to Savaii will be the students in the secondary unit of SENESE whom are mostly deaf and our team of interpreters. 

Also involved in the programme for the day are SENESE’s partners D.M.O who will be presenting as well as demonstrating how the deaf can act in a state of emergency and the Ministry of Women which is the focal point for the disability sector.

On Thursday 28th September SENESE Deaf Services will be hosting a forum to close international week of the deaf at the Tooa Salamasina Hall.

The forum is for stakeholders to see people who are deaf in action, as they sign, act, and perform on the theme, “Full inclusion with sign language.”

20 September 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>