This week is International Week of the Deaf, an initiative by the World Federation
of the Deaf (WFD), which was first launched in 1958 in Rome, Italy. WFD
recognised the last week of September to commemorate and bring awareness to
Deafness through various activities. This has been further recognised by South
Africa, which has declared the month of September as Deaf Awareness Month.
The aim of Deaf Awareness month is to increase public awareness of Deaf issues,
people and culture, emphasizing the positive aspects of Deafness, encouraging
social inclusion and raising awareness. Moreover, to bring visibility and create
awareness of the communication needs and unique identity of Deaf and hard-of-
hearing people to promote understanding of Deafness and Deaf Culture.
And that’s exactly what we will be doing today, in this hour of the show. For
What’s in the Lunchbox, we will be joined by the team from Neema Foundation for
the Deaf; a non-profit organisation committed to creating awareness, advocating
and empowering Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. And they will be hosting a sign
language masterclass on The Midday Link Up today.
As we create awareness about deafness, and hearing impaired people, we inviteyou to please call in if you have any questions, or any experiences of any family
members you might have whose hearing is impaired. How do we teach ourselves
to be inclusive?