A non governmental ,non profit -making organization,
Network for Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities(NAPVID) on Saturday tasked the federal government to include Sign Language in the Nigerian education curriculum in
order to accommodate the deaf community into the larger society.
The group in a sensitization walk to mark the 2023 International Day for Sign Languages with the theme:”A World Where Deaf People Can Sign Anywhere,”said government should make sure that Sign Languages are taught from the basic to the secondary school level in Nigeria
The Executive Director, NAPVID,Bar Melody Omosah, while addressing Journalists at the event organized by three Batch ‘A’ Stream 1 Corps members serving in Edo State
(Oluwatoyin Ajao, Precious Oshoaro and Anuoluapo Ogunrinu) in conjunction with Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities (NAPVID) said the millions of deaf people across the world makes it imperative for Sign Languages to be taught in schools.
“I am glad on behalf of NAPVID that we are partnering with the three Corps members serving in Edo State who brought this initiative in order to create awareness for a world where it is possible for a deaf person to be able to sign anywhere and as well speak not to themselves but to every other person in the society.
“Sign Languages must be elevated to be a language for everyone in the world, and for Nigeria,it should be part of our education policy. It should be taught in schools. The thousands and million population of deaf people makes it imperative for Sign Languages to be one of the Languages taught in
this nation. This will make it possibly for people to understand deaf people when they communicate. For people to be able to relate with deaf people when they come in contact with them.“Sign Languages must be taught in Nigeria from the basic up to secondary school level. It must be part of our curriculum,it is the minimum that government can do to show inclusion. To recognize that deaf people are part of the society.”
protecting the rights of the deaf community. This event is about accessibility and inclusion for all civil community to take responsibility of the deaf community. Our goal is to educate the public on why Sign Language is key in bridging the gap in communication between the deaf and the rest of us. Today,as we celebrate the international Day for Sign Languages,we are to educate the entire community that deaf people are also humans and Sign Language is a form of communication that should be embraced.
Let us all be agents of change today. Let us all be filled with love, compassion and empathy for the deaf, those who cannot hear us in this noise world.”
The International Day for Sign Languages is held by the United Nations on the 23rd of September to promote linguistic and cultural diversity of deaf communities and to raise awareness of the importance of sign languages
The Road Walk was staged from Market Square,Sapele Road to Kings Square,(Ring Road) Benin City.
