22 September 2025
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Story Kelebogile Boleu
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Photo Supplied
Kelebogile Boleu is a lecturer in the Department of Criminology, University of the Free State, and is a parent of a child with hearing impairment.
Opinion article by Kelebogile Boleu, Lecturer in the Department of Criminology, University of the Free State
Finding your feet as a parent of a Deaf child
September is the International Month for Deaf People. The World Federation of the Deaf declared September as Deaf Awareness Month. The aim of this month is to promote the positive aspects of deafness, as well as social inclusion. As a hearing parent I had little to no tools to help me navigate deafness in my child and ultimately the Deaf community and culture. I struggled to find my feet and make the choices that would be best for my child’s future, I simply did what I could and what health practitioners had hurriedly told me to do. I lacked support and access to parents who had been through the same thing or just a space where I could share my journey with people that would enlighten me further than the health practitioners had. Eventually my son entered school, though he thrived with his sign language and his deaf identity formation, the schooling environment itself was simply not a comfort to me. I experienced various challenges and though I finally met parents who could relate to my journey I was quickly disappointed at the level of a positive school experience the learners have. Their reading and writing development were extremely underdeveloped and they struggled to keep up, even those in higher grades than my son.
The importance of encouraging reading
The South African segment of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2021 (PIRLS 2021), conducted by the University of Pretoria, reveals a concerning statistic: 81% of South African Grade 4 learners struggle with reading comprehension at the age of 10. This issue is exacerbated among children with learning challenges, particularly Deaf children. Research indicates that only one in three Deaf adults proficient in South African Sign Language (SASL) are functionally literate, and the average literacy level of Deaf school leavers corresponds to that of an eight-year-old hearing child. Contributing factors to these challenges include a lack of a reading culture, insufficiently resourced educational institutions, and inadequate emphasis on early childhood development.
Finding solutions
I had multiple engagement with the stakeholders in the inclusive education space, including the Department of Basic Education (DBE) as well as the school for the Deaf. However, I eventually realised the only solution might need to come from us as parents. I wrote a proposal and consulted possible parties, the University of the Free State (UFS) library, as well as the UFS Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies both heard my cry and this project was supported.
We formed a project called the HEARTS project. It is not an acronym, but simply means the children are the heartbeat of the project and everyone involved has taken their roles wholeheartedly. Parents in the project get SASL training and support each other in navigating parenting and educating their deaf children. The children get extra reading classes, where we support their development through a positive reading culture and reading for fun activities. In the short time that we have had this project both parents and schoolteachers have seen a difference in this small group of children. The HEARTS project is close to the people involved, purpose driven and valuable to each individual no matter how they’ve contributed and gained from the project. We hope more parents and children can benefit from this over the years, but our greatest hope is to create a world where being deaf does not equate to a second-class education, where inclusivity doesn’t look like marginalisation and isolation. It is important to note that this project cannot be successful without the commitment of all parents ensuring that the work is done beyond the classroom, incorporating a reading culture at home and improving their sign language skills through constant communication and engagement with their child.
Way forward
We see this initiative as a small start to what we hope will be a bigger project, one where parents can get support as soon as their child is diagnosed. To understand fully their non-medical options before they make big decisions. We would like to see more schooling opportunities closer to home. For the DBE to foster true inclusivity, and encourage not only academic success, but sports and arts and culture as avenues for success. We hope for a schooling system that recognises the Deaf’s need for empowerment, a school that sees them as future contributors to the economy and leadership of the country, a schooling system that doesn’t create limitations but ensures extended possibilities.