Regional Initiative for Inclusive Sign Language Environments for Deaf Children
Less than two per cent of the world's 34 million deaf children have access to learning in sign language, and 95% of these children encounter sign language for the first time only when they begin school. These profound gaps in early childhood education deny deaf learners their fundamental right to equitable, quality learning tailored to their unique linguistic and developmental needs.
Addressing this critical inequity, a groundbreaking, 33-month project multi-country initiative was launched in Kenya this April in collaboration with the Federation of Deaf Women's Empowerment Network (FEDWEN) and other partners in the Deaf community, under the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX). This ambitious undertaking, Scaling Inclusive Early Learning with Deaf Children, brings together Open Development & Education, Kentalis International Foundation, and Busara to tackle the challenge on multiple fronts.
"We've talked about inclusivity for years, mostly from a gender perspective, but there's still more to address," reflects Mercy Rurii, Program Officer at Canada's International Development Research Centre. "This project highlights the needs of deaf children and the environments in which they need to learn. It's a powerful step toward true inclusivity."
The initiative operates on dual tracks: researching the impact of sign language-rich learning environments while simultaneously investigating the complex factors that enable or impede scaling this impact across Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda.
As Georgine Auma, Director of Studio KSL at eKitabu, explains during her presentation to stakeholders, "Our main goals are to scale sign language-rich environments, build capacity for Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers and caregivers, and gather evidence to inform language of instruction policies in Kenya, Rwanda, and Malawi."
The project particularly emphasizes the crucial role of deaf educators. Liverson Mwakesi, an ECD teacher at Kwale School for the Deaf, passionately advocates for increased governmental support: "I appeal to the government to support deaf teachers by offering them a 'Learner Support Assistant Course' and deploying them in schools. This will help ensure that in the future, deaf learners have the opportunity to thrive and excel."
To maximize impact and build community engagement, we're building an Evidence Library as a comprehensive repository of tools and resources for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Whether your focus is deaf education, childhood learning, first language acquisition, bilingual learning, or literacy development, this growing collection offers valuable insights and practical applications.
We invite you to explore the Evidence Library and join our community of practice. Your feedback, ideas, and suggestions for improvement are welcome, they're essential to our shared mission of creating more inclusive educational environments for deaf children worldwide. Please get in touch with us at support@ekitabu.com to share your thoughts or learn more about getting involved in this transformative work.
