EXPERTS have called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to include sign language in school curriculum for the growth and development of the deaf individuals.
The experts made the call at the first International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) to commemorate the maiden edition of the International Day of Sign Languages at the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), on Wednesday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was themed: “With Sign Language, everyone is included.”
The programme was organised by UNIC in collaboration with Speaking Fingers, a non-governmental organisation, which focuses on teaching life skills to deaf young people.
According to the United Nations General Assembly, the day is to be celebrated annually on September 23.
The resolution to declare September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages was adopted on December 19, 2017.
The resolution acknowledged that early access, services and quality education in sign language was vital to the growth and development of the deaf individual.
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Mrs Olayide Akanni, Executive Director, Journalist Against Aids, said sign language should be included in school curriculum from the onset.
“For us to actually attain the inclusion that we are talking about in sign language, we need to include it in our schools’ curriculum right from the onset.
“It is not only sign language that we are advocating for though, our focus today is on sign language; there are also the issue of persons with visual impairment as well as people with physical disability,” she said.
Akanni said the culture of inclusion should not be a government thing but should cut across every sphere and strata.
In the same vein, a sign Language Specialist, popularly known as speaking Fingers, Mrs Treasures Uchegbu, called on the media to help bridge the gap between the hearing impaired and the hearing people.
“One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is partnership.
“It is their work to partner with us as the media to track institutions that still exclude the most vulnerable in the society and report same and those who already have, we celebrate them,” she said.
Uchegbu, therefore, appreciated UNIC for hosting and celebrating sign language, saying it was the beginning of good things to come for the deaf.
The Proprietor of Hope Fountain Schools for the Deaf, Mr Tony Nwokolo, called on stakeholders to ensure sign language was given due recognition.
“Language is an extremely fundamental human need for day to day living and interaction, deaf people are human beings too; they have their own language which is sign language.
“In Nigeria, there are about 15 million deaf people; the deaf suffer a lot of discrimination and frustration in everyday life,” Nwokolo said.
Earlier in his speech, Dr Roland Kayanja, the Director of UNIC, said there was need for stakeholders to ensure people with hearing impairment were engaged meaningfully.
“We need to ensure that we provide a voice and platforms for the meaningful participation and engagement of the most marginalised, vulnerable and excluded communities and individuals,” he said.
Kayanja congratulated all of the people promoting the use of sign language in Nigeria, saying they were contributing to social inclusion and the goal of leaving no one behind.
He pledged that the United Nations would strive to sustain the momentum.
Participants at the event were students from Wesley Schools for the Hearing Impaired, Surulere, Hope Fountain Schools for the Deaf, Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Parents, NGOs among others.
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