Deaf in Developing Countries

Learning Objectives:

• Understand briefly what a developing country is
• Understand what life is like to be deaf in a developing country
• Be able to explain the prevalence of deafness in developing countries

What is a Developing Country?

• It is a country with a relatively low standard of living
• A country with a undeveloped industrial base
• A country with a moderate to low Human Development Index
  

Deaf in Developing Countries: an Overview

• 80% of the World's Deaf are found in developing countries
• in five Latin American and Caribbean countries, six African countries, and one Asian country Deaf people did not have equal citizenship rights. They could not vote, their freedom to assemble or establish representative bodies was restricted, Deaf could not marry other Deaf, among other things.
• 26 of the countries prohibited Deaf people from driving and obtaining a Driver's License
• In most of the countries sign languages were not reconized by the government, therefore there was no guarantee that Deaf children had access to their native sign language even in schools that claimed to use sign language.
• Out of 53 countries with a television broadcasting network only six, Belize, Brazil, Cuba, Ghana, India and Pakistan, produced programs, news, and documentaries for Deaf people
• The general proportion of unemployment for Deaf people was three times higher than national averages
• Out of the 65 countries that released information only 29 of them had Sign Language interpreters available. And in all cases none of them were trained professionals, and were not certified by any authority.
• 28 countries had no interpreters at all, and in Barbados, Colombia, Kenya and Thailand there were only one or two interpreters nationally.
• Only 20% of Deaf children recieved any education at all
• Only 1% of Deaf children were enrolled in primary education
• Modes of instruction in Deaf Schools:
• Oral-64 countries
• Manual-44 countries
• Both-3 countries
• Total Communication-42 countries
• In 18 countries teachers did not recieve formal training to teach Deaf children
• All statistics are based on survey results published in 1992 by the Word Federation of the Deaf and were found here.
• According to a Rochester newspaper, Deaf children in developing countries are viewed as a punishment from God. The child is often chained to a bed, ocassionally fed, and all around abused.
  

Sign Language

• The majority of countries have their own sign language, and usually is called according to the name of the country.
• Although in most cases the language is not recognized by the National Governments
• For example in Kenya, the sign language is Kenyan Sign Language, and as typical, it is not recognized by Kenya's government
• In Kenya's case, the government backs signed English
• In many cases the country's sign language is based on another country's sign language, and many times that country is the U.S. This is spread by deaf missionaries going to these countries and teaching the deaf a way to communicate

Above:Ms. Euphrasia Mbewe of Zambia,
who is a Project Coordinator for the
Eastern and Southern Africa Sign
Language Project presenting a sign from

Left: The sign for Orange in

Chinese, in American Sign Language

that sign means "cousin"Zambian Sign Language

Cochlear Implant Use in Developing Countries

• The Cochlear Implant is the only medical intervention that can restore partial hearing to a totally deafened person, and it has been used by more than 12,000 Deaf people worldwide.
• The only problem is that it can cost between $15,000 and $35,000 to get
• The present cochlear implant is virtually unavailable for Deaf people in developing countries.
• In China four different groups have independently developed single-electrode cochlear implant systems
• In most developing countries people who recieve cochlear implants get them from medical missions doctors or other donations, the people themselves are not able to afford the procedure themselves.
• To pay for a typical cochlear implant would be 20,000 dollars, which would take twenty years salary for an average working Chinese person, and four years salary for a Mexican medical doctor.
  

Deaf Culture in Developing Countries

• There is no apparent existence of Deaf culture in most of the developing countries.
  
• Most of the public in these countries believe that deafness is a handicap and should be treated if possible
• After a trip to China by Fan-Gang Zeng, Ph.D, he reported how the Chinese felt about Deaf culture
• The majority of Deaf Chinese people live in a hearing community
• signs used by deaf Chinese are not as fully developed as American Sign Language and signing is not uniformly recognized as a language
• Deaf people are generally in adverse economic conditions and about two thirds of them rely on financial support from the government, parents, and relatives.

Deaf people in America have a difficult time, however it is not nearly as difficult as Deaf people in other countries do, especially in developing countries. This really opened up my eyes, making it more real what they go through.

References

Livadas, Greg. "Speaker Tells of Global Obstacles Facing Deaf." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle16 MAY 2006 30 09 2006 .

Harrington, David. "Sign Languages of the World, By Country." Deaf Related Resources. 02 2004. Gallaudet University. 30 09 2006 .

Zeng, Fan-Gang, Ph.D. "Cochlear Implants in Developing Countries." Cochlear International Club International Vol. 10(1996) 5-9. 30 09 2006 .

World Federation of the Deaf, "Deaf in Devleoping Countries." World Federation of the Deaf. (1992). World Federation of the Deaf. 30 09 2006 .

"Developing Country." Wikipedia. 2006. 1 Oct 2006 .