By S, KNA
Calls for recognition, respect and need for unity for persons with disability dominated celebrations to mark this year’s International Deaf awareness month held in Nyeri.
The fete that was held at the Whispers Park Social Hall and attended by 86 persons with hearing impairment also called for the training of more Sign Language interpreters to enhance communication between the deaf and other members of the public.
Nyeri County National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) Service Officer, Ken Kabene, said the forum also provided an avenue for not only highlighting some of the challenges affecting persons with disabilities (PWDs) but milestones so far covered in addressing these challenges.
Kabene also noted that out of the 86 persons from the deaf community who attended the annual global event, the government and other policy makers will be in a position to come up with measures that will address challenges affecting such persons.
The theme for the deaf awareness month this year is No human rights without sign language rights.
“As you are aware there are quite a number of gaps where persons who are hearing impaired are left out when it comes to service delivery. We have put up measures to ensure that we address these gaps. In the last financial year, the Council was able to train a total of 56 civil servants in Basic Kenya Sign Language. This is very important when it comes to service delivery and also inclusion of persons with hearing impairment,” he told the press on the sidelines of the celebrations.
Apart from training, the Government has continued to offer scholarships and bursaries to children with disabilities to enable them acquire quality education that can empower them later in life.
Kabene said the Council together with other stakeholders has also continued to provide assistive devices such as hearing aids to those with hearing impaired to improve their audibility.
He nevertheless said much still needed to be done in terms of providing basic opportunities such as equal employment opportunities and affordable quality health care to PWDs as envisioned in the Persons with Disability Act of 2025.
“Some of the challenges they have mentioned is the issue of employment. They have noticed that in the area of employment they are not able to secure employment. These are good avenues that will create good rapport with the Nyeri County Public Service Board to ensure at least some people with hearing impairment can be absorbed in the workforce of Nyeri County,” he disclosed.
“They have also informed us that they need more sign language interpreters and as a Council we are going to look into that. In the last financial year, we were able to train four health workers who are basically assisting us interpreting at the hospitals. These are some of the areas we are continuing improving.”
But while speakers were stressing on the need to do more in improving the welfare of PWDs, Nyeri Disability Network chair Mr Kabatha Wanjohi on his part underscored for the need for unity among those living with one form of impairment or another.
While lauding the Government and other stakeholders for being at the forefront in coming up with measures to address the challenges affecting PWDs, Wanjohi argued that the overall success in the endeavor lay in unity among the affected.
“We need all of us working together. When we are having our celebrations let us all be included. This is my humble submission. We should all be joining together as people with different forms of disabilities because when we are united, we can achieve more. This is because disability is cross-cutting whether you are talking about those with albinism, the hearing impaired, physically challenged or visually impaired,” he told the gathering.
Kabatha also called for recognition of Sign Language (SL) Interpreters through accreditation to enable them to assist in communicating Government policies for the deaf during public forums.
“All trained Sign Language interpreters should be accredited so that they can be used in public forums such as chief’s barazas, this would help in ensuring even those with hearing challenges do not have to skip such meetings just because they have a challenge,” he said.
Millicent Wanjiri, the ACK Imarisha Maisha Dhabiti Project manager appealed for empowerment of PWDs to enable them pursue income generating opportunities in life.
The project manager noted that with proper practical skills PWDs can be empowered to be independent and in the process contribute positively to the growth of the country.
“We need to ask the County Government to ensure these people can access the skills either in Technical and Vocational Education and Training or informal entrepreneurship so that they can attain necessary skills and lead dignified lives just like all of us,” she said.
“Similarly the current education system is very expensive for the hearing impaired. Not many parents are able to educate their children. There can be a subsidy for that education so that these people are able to lead normal lives.”
The project manager also urged parents with children with hearing impairment not to shy away from taking them to accredited health facilities for assessment early in order to enable them to be assisted.
Wanjiru observed some parents fear taking their children for assessment early in life for fear of stigma and in the process deny them medical assistance that could have improved their overall impairment.
“Parents need to take their children suspected to have hearing challenges for early assessment and detection of their problem. Most parents with children with hearing problems take their children to Tumutumu School for the Deaf when it is too late or when the child has stayed at home for too long. Let’s embrace these people, let us accept them as this is the only way we can show them the love of God,” she appealed.
