HAPPY DEAF AWARENESS MONTH!

Way back in March of 2020, we announced our selection as a winner of All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development’s (ACR GCD) Begin With Books prize. The challenge was to create cost-effective, accessible children’s books in languages that children use and understand. We proposed to bring expertise and our innovative Bloom software to a country that is new for SIL LEAD as an organization—Mali!

And then we did!

Here’s a LINK from ACR talking about our project to create 420 quality, accessible books in the Soninke and Sénoufo languages of Mali, as well as the sign language used in Malian shools for the hearing impaired, using SIL International’s Bloom book creation software.

Although Covid created unprecedented challenges as we sought to complete the project, we are so pleased with the work that’s been done, and especially with all the input from the Malian Deaf community.

So for Deaf Awareness month (and on this International Literacy Day!), we wanted to share some pictures taken during video sessions in the two Deaf Schools / Schools for the hearing impaired in Bamako, Mali.

The first three pictures there depict Benjamin, a former teacher in a school for hearing deficient children in Bamako, Mali. We asked Benjamin to weigh in on the project. Benjamin said:

“Bloom software is an excellent application. It makes it easy to create, upload and publish books, videos, photos and more. I am skilled in creating digital books in sign language thanks to the training on the software for creating digital books.

Many deaf children in Mali have had difficulty reading and understanding because of the lack of availability of books in sign language. Thanks to the LiNEMA project created by SIL, we were able to produce 20 digital books in sign language so that deaf students in all schools in Mali can benefit from reading and signing to acquire their mother tongue to enable them to understand because it accelerates the development of sign language without difficulty so that they can have a way to express themselves and it increases the links between parents, children and friends. I am sure that deaf children and their parents will be very pleased to hear that all 20 books will be available.”

Another educator, Awa, said:

“I am deaf and teacher at the school for the deaf.

I want to talk about the books in sign language. It is very interesting and important for deaf children.

Why is it important?

In many families, the deaf child is neglected. They shut themselves away and grow up with ignorance.

The books in sign language help the children to learn to read, write and get information.

They also help the deaf child to develop his abilities and to be independent in the future.

As a teacher, I have found that deaf children are more interested in reading than in other subjects because knowing and learning about our words makes them happy. For me, books in sign language are very important in the development of deaf children. Thank you.”

Here’s a video of Awa explaining all of this in her own, Malian sign language.

We are so grateful to have worked with Benjamin, Awa, and so many others on this project, and are grateful for all they have taught us as we celebrate Deaf Awareness month all this September.