Dubai: People with hearing disability in the UAE will have a new dictionary of Emirati sign language that will help the deaf better communicate and learn the nuances of the new language.
The Emirati sign langauge is being used by the deaf to communicate, but the language is in its infancy and needs a database (of signs), said a campaigner.
Bedour Al Raqbani, founder of Kalimati, a speech and communication centre, is promoting the Emirati sign language and encourages everyone to learn it and has involved international support for this initiative. (Kalimati means “My Words” in Arabic).
Her campaign also pulled in Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi, the UN Ambassador at Large for the Arab and Gulf region. A truck went on a road show through four emirates promoting the Emirati sign language.
“People with hearing disabilities have a hard time communicating with those with normal hearing because very few people know or learn sign language”, she said. “Without communicating, one cannot be part of the society.
Bedour said many deaf people are excluded from society when they should have equal rights as those without this “minimal disability”.
International statistics
The campaign ended recently (last Wednesday) with an international conference titled, “Hear My Voice — Empowering the Deaf”, that was held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development.
There are no figures how many people with hearing disability there are in the UAE, but Bedour cited international statistics that there are 360 million people worldwide who are born deaf.
Dr Joseph Murray, board member of The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), said the hearing disabled need full access to sign language from birth so as to achieve their full potential and their rights in society.
He was speaking to Gulf News through a sign interpreter on the sidelines of the conference held at the Dubai Health Care City (DHCC).
The doctor later delivered a keynote address pushing for human rights of deaf people worldwide.
Dr Murray said governments in the Gulf region should provide equal opportunities to those who are hard of hearing. “There is a need for sign language in every day society,” he said.
The doctor said American sign language is the fourth-most popular language in the US and that more and more people are “signing”. “UAE should make it possible for the deaf to become involved in every day activities,” he said.
Raising awareness
Promoting sign language for everyone, he said research has shown that children who can hear, but learn sign language, do better in reading abilities.
“People do not understand the issues deaf people face and their capabilities,” he said. “Many are intimidated by the deaf, but if they are included in society, people can see how successful they can be,” he said.
Dr Murray said more and more countries are employing interpreters to work with the deaf. “In the States, we have professors, doctors and attorneys [who have hearing disability],” he said.
Marwan Abedin, chief executive officer, DHCC, said, “Raising awareness is key to overcoming prejudice against any form of disability including hearing loss and deafness. The ‘Hear Us Sign’ Campaign will help address such barriers at many levels,” he said.
