User:Dena Stiles-Lawson/Deafness in Somalia

Human and Civil Rights for DHH People in Somalia

The UN CRPD

The human rights of DHH people are outlined in United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Somalia ratified the CRPD in 2019. They have not accepted the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.[1] While the CRPD applies to all disability communities, the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) highlights several articles that are of particular interest.[2]

Sign language rights (Articles 2, 21.b, 21.3, 23.3, and 24.3b)
Deaf culture and linguistic identity (Article 30.4)
Bilingual education (Article 24.1, 24.3b, 24.4)
Lifelong learning (Article 5, 24.5, and 27)
Accessibility (Article 9 and 21)
Equal employment opportunities (Article 27)
Equal participation (Article 5, 12, 20, 23, 24, 29)

Somalia's Disability Report

In 2024, the Somalia National Bureau of Statistics published a national report on the status of disabled people.^[1] Throughout the report, minimal attention was spent on DHH communities. The word "deaf" or "deafness" is not used once in the document. The following content will detail the most relevant passages of the report as it pertains to DHH communities.

Sign Language Rights

The report mentions nothing about the status of sign language in Somalia.

Deaf Culture and Linguistic Identity

The report mentions nothing about Deaf culture nor the linguistic identity surrounding it.

Bilingual Education

The report spends a section on access to education for people with disabilities, pointing out the significant gap of education access between abled people and disabled people.^[2] Despite this, no mention of education for DHH people is made specifically. This report does not discuss if/how sign language is used in Somalian education, though it is present.^[3]

Lifelong Learning

See Bilingual Education above.

Sign Language in Somalia

As of February 6, 2025, Somalia's deaf communities and deaf schools use Somali Sign Language (SSL). It began as Kenyan Sign Language, before developing into a sign language specific to Somalia.

Legal Status

As of 2025, the World Federation of the Deaf has no information on the legal recognition of Somali Sign Language.^[4]

Early Intervention

Early intervention for deaf and hard of hearing children refers to the services and support provided to families and professionals to help DHH children learn language and build upon speech and social development. Some methods often used for early intervention for DHH children are cochlear implants, hearing aids, and education programs tailored to meet the needs of the child.

The Howl-wadag school for the deaf was founded by the Somalia National Association of the Deaf (SONAD) and is located in Mogadishu, Somalia. It was founded in 2007, and after a period of closing due to conflict, continues to operate currently^[5]. DHH children who had minimal prior experience in traditional school settings appeared to benefit from the acquisition of sign language and socialization that came with attending the school.^[3] The school taught in sign language and all the children signed in their interview with BBC.

Not much can be found currently about the role cochlear implants and hearing aids play in the role of early intervention for DHH children in Somalia. While sources online mention implant surgery performed on individuals^[6] , the full extent of these tools used in conjunction with early intervention for children is unclear.

Bibliography

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Bibliography

About Us - Somali National Association of the Deaf. www.sonadsomalia.org/about-somali-national-association-of-the-deaf-sonad. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

“A report on Somali Sign Language and the Somali Deaf Community.” Deaf Unity, 2018, deafunity.org/article_interview/a-report-on-somali-sign-language-and-the-somali-deaf-community.

“The school helping deaf children communicate.” YouTube, uploaded by BBC News Africa, 3 Nov. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_CuQmBG6uQ&t=1s. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

“Somalia | International Disability Alliance.” internationaldisabilityalliance.org, www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/countries/SOM. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Examples:

Luke, Learie. 2007. Identity and secession in the Caribbean: Tobago versus Trinidad, 1889–1980 Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press.
- This is a book published by a university press, so it should be a reliable source. It also covers the topic in some depth, so it's helpful in establishing notability.
Galeano, Gloria; Bernal, Rodrigo (2013-11-08). "Sabinaria , a new genus of palms (Cryosophileae, Coryphoideae, Arecaceae) from the Colombia-Panama border". Phytotaxa.
- This is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, so it should be a reliable source. It covers the topic in some depth, so it's helpful in establishing notability.
Baker, William J.; Dransfield, John (2016). "Beyond Genera Palmarum: progress and prospects in palm systematics". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
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References

^ admin (2024-03-14). "NATIONAL DISABILITYREPORT 2024". Retrieved 2025-01-30.
^ Cite error: The named reference :02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b BBC News Africa (2020-11-02). The school helping deaf children communicate - BBC Africa. Retrieved 2025-01-30 – via YouTube.
^ "The Legal Recognition of National Sign Languages". WFD. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
^ "Primary and Secondary School for Deaf – Somali National Association of the Deaf (SONAD)". Retrieved 2025-02-13.
^ "UAE's Red Crescent medical team performs Somalia's first electronic cochlear ..." somalidoc.com. Retrieved 2025-02-13.

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[:0-1] (2024-03-14). "NATIONAL DISABILITYREPORT 2024". Retrieved 2025-01-30.

[:02-2] Cite error: The named reference :02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:1-3] BBC News Africa (2020-11-02). The school helping deaf children communicate - BBC Africa. Retrieved 2025-01-30 – via YouTube.

[4] "The Legal Recognition of National Sign Languages". WFD. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2025-02-06.

[5] "Primary and Secondary School for Deaf – Somali National Association of the Deaf (SONAD)". Retrieved 2025-02-13.

[6] "UAE's Red Crescent medical team performs Somalia's first electronic cochlear ..." somalidoc.com. Retrieved 2025-02-13.

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