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Deafness: parenting a child with hearing impairment

22 September 2022 | Story Kelebogile Olivier | Photo Supplied

Opinion article by Kelebogile Olivier, Lecturer in the Department of Criminology, and Secretary of the University of the Free State Women’s Forum.

The World Federation of the Deaf declared September to be Deaf Awareness Month in the 1950s. The Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA) and the South African National Deaf Association (SANDA) both promote awareness of the rights of Deaf persons in South Africa. During Deaf Awareness Week, deaf people are highlighted for their accomplishments and challenges (Deaf Awareness 2022) There growing is awareness about hearing loss, deafness, Deaf culture, and sign language. By understanding deafness and the culture of the deaf community, hearing people can better understand deafness. This year's theme is Building Inclusive Communities for all through the promotion of deafness, Sign Language, and Deaf culture. This piece is a personal reflection of my experiences as a parent of a child who has hearing loss.

Access South African Sign Language as a medium of education

The education of deaf and hard-of-hearing learners is influenced by several factors both negatively and positively. The lack of Deaf role models for deaf learners, the lack of recognition of South African Sign Language (SASL) as a Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT), and the lack of fluency in SASL among teachers are some of these factors (Magongwa, 2010).

The education system is considering bi-modal communication. However, the challenge is finding schools where sign language is taught. A school such as Carel du Toit special school in Bloemfontein has a vision to teach spoken language and support children with hearing impairments. Therefore, it does not offer sign language as a language of education.

Baritimea School for blind and hearing-loss children is an alternative school situated outside Bloemfontein which teaches sign language. One thing about this school is that the kids learn sign language and are confident in their communication. It has an excellent teaching and learning vision which it has managed to actively reach.

The use of sign language in South Africa has advanced greatly. South African Sign Language (SASL) is set to become the 12th official language of the country after government regulations were passed recently. SASL will now be recognised by the Department of Basic Education as a home language and part of the national school curriculum in grades R-12 under the gazetted amendment. This means that deaf learners will now be able to select SASL as a home language in schools. The department has also made amendments on the passing criteria for learners who select SASL as a home language in schools.

As SASL is the first language for most members of the deaf community, these positive changes will significantly impact learners’ ability to excel in school. “This Regulation is called the Amendment Regulations pertaining to the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12, 2022 and will come into effect on the date of publication in the Government Gazette.” A growing number of South Africans are fluent in the language, and this will ultimately lead to a more inclusive language and a greater appreciation of deaf culture.

Firsthand experience and the rollercoaster of parenting a child with hearing impairment

I found out about my son’s hearing impairment in the middle of 2018, based on pure maternal instinct. I took the decision to have him assessed by a speech therapist believing he had a simple speech problem. In that initial assessment, it was confirmed that the problem was not speech but that he has severe hearing loss. So began the journey to what felt like a million tests and hospital visits. That year alone my son was under anesthesia more than four times.

Initially, he was fitted with hearing aids, which medical aid did not cover. Other costs included an unbudgeted R30 000 the audiologist charged for the devices. He had grommets fitted by an ENT, his hearing was tested while under anesthesia, and his hearing was tested various times until hearing aids were confirmed not to be the best option for him.

Due to the severity of his hearing loss, towards the end of 2018, a decision was made to fit him with cochlear implants. With all this technology, a weekly speech therapy appointment, constant mapping, and regular audiograms, we were well on the way to a speaking child. Unfortunately, despite implants, the speech progress was delayed.

Personal interaction with the deaf community

My first experience of deaf communities and the challenges they face daily in simply trying to communicate and navigate a world that is designed not for them began in my undergraduate year module, introduction to sign language. Although some communities, organisations, and institutions of higher education have tried to move toward inclusivity, one does not need to look too deep to notice that the world is not designed for people with any type of impairment, especially in developing nations.

My experience of the deaf community felt like a mere drop in the ocean when 10 years post my undergraduate learning, I could not engage in a conversation with a deaf person. My limited experience and knowledge of deafness and the community were emphasised when my son was diagnosed with severe hearing loss. I realised there is so much to learn and navigating deafness is sometimes a lonely space, until you find even just one person to help you into the deaf society.

We are now considering bi-modal communication. In addition to working on his speech and hearing, we plan to use sign language to support it, especially for educational purposes. Although progress has been made towards inclusivity, we still have a long way to go.

Positive school experiences for deaf or hearing-impaired children

Deaf children should have the same experiences of schooling as every other child in the country. A clean school, a bright and safe playground, and access to sports facilities at the school. This alone would make a difference in how they experience the world as deaf and hearing-impaired children. Rather than the frustration they face daily, they need to have hope that this world will improve. Their safe spaces should at least be exactly that, safe!

News Archive

In January 1, 2003, the Qwa-Qwa campus of the University of the North (Unin) was incorporated into the University of the Free State (UFS).

2003-02-07

FREDERICK FOURIE

IN January 1, 2003, the Qwa-Qwa campus of the University of the North (Unin) was incorporated into the University of the Free State (UFS).

While this is merely the beginning of a long and complex process, it does represent a major milestone in overcoming the apartheid legacy in education, realising the anti-apartheid goal of a single non-racial university serving the Free State.

The incorporation is also part of the minister's broader restructuring of the higher education landscape in South Africa - a process which aims to reshape the ideologically driven legacy of the past.

In contrast to the past educational and social engineering that took place, the current process of incorporating the Qwa-Qwa campus of Unin into the UFS is informed by three fundamentally progressive policy objectives, clearly outlined in the education white paper 3: (A framework for the transformation of higher education):

To meet the demands of social justice to address the social and structural inequalities that characterise higher education.

To address the challenges of globalisation, in particular the role of knowledge and information processing in driving social and economic development.

To ensure that limited resources are effectively and efficiently utilised, given the competing and equally pressing priorities in other social sectors.

Besides informing the way the UFS is managing the current incorporation, these policy objectives have also informed the transformation of the UFS as an institution over the past five years.

In 2001, former president Nelson Mandela lauded the success of the UFS in managing this transformation, by describing the campus as a model of multiculturalism and multilingualism. This was at his acceptance of an honorary doctorate from the UFS.

Indeed our vision for the Qwa-Qwa campus as a branch of the UFS is exactly the same as it is for the main UFS campus - a model of transformation, academic excellence, community engagement and financial sustainability, building on the histories and strengths of both the Qwa-Qwa campus and the UFS (Bloemfontein campus).

Realising this vision will be a giant leap forward in establishing a unified higher education landscape in the Free State.

In more concrete terms, the UFS is working towards this vision by focusing on the following areas of intervention: access and equity; academic renewal; investment in facilities; and sound financial management.

These interventions are being made not to preserve any vestiges of privilege or superiority, but precisely to increase access for students from poor backgrounds and to promote equity and representivity among all staff.

The current growth phase of the UFS has seen student enrolment almost double over the past five years, in particular black students, who now constitute approximately 55 percent of the student population of nearly 18 000 (including off-campus and online students).

But it has not just been a numbers game. Our approach has been to ensure access with success.

Our admissions policy, coupled with the academic support and "career preparation" programmes we offer, have resulted in significant successes for students who otherwise would not have been allowed to study at a university.

This will be continued at Qwa-Qwa as well.

Our academic offerings too have undergone dramatic change. We have become the first university in the country to offer a degree programme based on the recognition of prior learning (RPL).

This is not just a matter of academic renewal but of access as well, especially for working adults in our country who were previously denied a university education.

As for the sound financial management of the UFS (including the Qwa-Qwa campus), this is being done not for the sake of saving a few rands and cents, but for the greater value to our society that comes from having sustainable institutions.

It is sustainable universities that can make long-term investments to fund employment equity, provide information technology for students, upgrade laboratories, construct new buildings, develop research capacity, and provide a safe environment for students and staff, as is happening now at the UFS.

As a result of such management, a practical benefit for prospective students at the Qwa-Qwa campus of the UFS will be lower academic fees in some cases compared with the Unin fees.

As is the case with all these processes, there are concerns from staff and students at Qwa-Qwa and the broader community of the region that the Qwa-Qwa campus serves.

To get the campus viable and to ensure its continuation in the short term, tough choices had to be made by the minister of education regarding which programmes to offer and fund.

But we have been encouraged by the community's understanding that these concerns can be addresed over time as the campus becomes financially viable.

Meetings between the top mangement of the UFS and community representatives, staff and students at Qwa-Qwa have laid the basis for building a climate of trust in such a complex process.

We should not be captives of the past divisions but build this new unified higher education landscape that can meet our country's developmental needs.

It should be a higher education landscape that is based on broadening access, promoting equity and social justice, developing academic excellence, and the effective and efficient management of scarce resources. This should be our common common objective.

Professor Frederick Fourie the rector and vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS)

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