On the frontline: Sign language barrier: In Kenya, there is a sector of the population that the government has not managed to disseminate information to — the hearing impaired.
, which profiles some of the heroes on the frontline of Africa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Download your free copy ofWhen President Uhuru Kenyatta first announced measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in Kenya, one million of his countrymen were unable to hear him speak.
It was a Damascus moment. “It hit me that the hearing impaired could not understand the impact of the disease, as many weren’t able to follow Uhuru’s speech and other announcements,” said Njoroge.in Nakuru, Njoroge took it upon himself to spread the word.
“The deaf are very visual and pictures can sometimes be better than text,” said Njoroge. “As the virus spreads to different counties in the country I share updates with my deaf families on these platforms.”Njoroge said that before creating the videos to educate others he first had to educate himself, and began learning how to counter myths and misconceptions about the virus with facts.
“A lady whose son is deaf told me that no matter how much she tried to explain to him about corona, he couldn’t quite understand,” he said. “But after watching a video I’d made, the young man could relate and actually started observing the code of rules set by the government.”That young man was not alone.
Njoroge said he was proud of the recognition his work had received, but said there was still a large communication gap between the government and the deaf community, and has made an appeal for sign language interpreters to be present in hospitals and the quarantine centres. “If they can’t follow along, it will be hard for them to catch up with the curriculum once schools reopen,” Njoroge said. “And yet they are still meant to sit for the national examinations at the end of the year.”
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