Learning Disability Week

Africa-Press – Lesotho. The National Association of the Deaf Lesotho (NADL) pleaded with the service providers to be accommodative of the needs of people with disabilities at their outlets. This they said last week while commemorating Learning Disability Week in association with Female in Africa (FIA) Lesotho in Maseru.

While tabling the challenges encountered by deaf people, NADL Volunteer Programme Officer ‘Matšepiso Mokhoromeng said in terms of communication, most service providers lack interpreting services to assist any deaf person who might have come for services, so they end up receiving wrong information or giving wrong information.

She said this challenge is mostly encountered at the courts of law, schools, community gatherings, church services and even in the families of the deaf people.

Mokhoromeng also indicated that while they appreciate some businesses giving jobs to deaf people, more has to be done by the government to include deaf workers in various departments as most of them have families to feed.

“Sign language interpreting on the National television is currently a challenge because there is only one interpreter, if it happens the interpreter has some errands to run and is absent for some few days, there is no interpreter to serve in her absence.
We recommend and humbly request the ministry of communication in consultation with LTV to increase the number of sign language interpreters for the purpose of flexibility,” she pointed out.

Another issue is that of lack of privacy, which is often invaded by the interpreters during health check-ups, leading the death have sensitive, private information released. The Programme Officer suggested for Service providers to have their own interpreters.

FIA Lesotho Chairperson Ntahli Griffiths revealed that the main aim of the getting together with NADL was to come together as women-led organizations to discuss issues specifically challenging women and people with disabilities to learn about their challenges and how they can best be tackled.

Learning Disability Week 2022 took place from 20 to 26 June and is led every year by the mental health charity Mencap with the aim to make sure that the world hears what life is like for people with learning disabilities. This year’s theme was Art and Creativity.

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