Language, A Barrier?

Have you ever experienced this: you walk into a shop and then try to talk to the people in the shop, and to your utmost surprise, no one understands what you're saying, not even the service provider? Now the million-dollar question is, how would you cope with this frustrating situation, if it were you?

Now that's how hearing and speech impaired people feel when they walk into a clinic or other health facility and no one seems to understand what they are trying to say. That's how they feel when they don't even understand what the preacher is talking about in church; that's how they feel when they can't even ask questions in class not because they don't want to but because of their condition. How many institutions in this country have sign language interpreters? One, out of how many? Millions!

If that's the case, then how are they coping in such an environment? How are they thriving? Are there legislations that should ensure an inclusive society? Absolutely!

So then, what are we doing as a nation? As leaders, what are we doing about it? As citizens of this great nation, what can we do to turn things around? Must we wait for the whole world to be speech and hearing impaired before something is done about it? Certainly not!

The time has come! Let's join hands and talk "Disability," for indeed, disability is not inability.

Language barrier does not involve only speech and hearing impaired persons but the visually impaired as well.

Braille? What is it? Have you thought of how the blind read and write? That's the braille! How many institutions in this country have the expertise to accommodate the blind, how many churches in the country and even Africa have the human resource to render services to the blind?

Are they not Ghanaians, are they not equally Africans? Must they not have access to all social amenities? If that is the case, then what is the problem? Why can't we have visually impaired newscasters? Why can't we have visually impaired journalists? Can't  they execute whatever task is given to them if they are trained appropriately?

The time has come! Let's join hands and talk "Disability," for indeed, disability is not inability.

Ato Dadzie-Dennis
President, GADRES KNUST