The Namibian Organisation of Youth with Disabilities (NOYD) says Namibia must move beyond recognising the rights of deaf people on paper and ensure those rights are experienced in everyday life.
As Namibia marks the International Day of Sign Languages under the theme ‘Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights’, NOYD says access to Namibian Sign Language (NSL) is central to education, healthcare, justice, employment, information and political participation.
NOYD spokesperson Otto Gotlieb, in a statement on Wednesday, says Namibia has made progress, including recognising NSL in education, but a shortage of qualified interpreters continues to leave deaf people struggling to access essential public services.
The Namibian National Association of the Deaf estimates that about 27 000 deaf people live across the country, while only a limited number of interpreters are available.
He says deaf patients should not depend on relatives to communicate private medical information, while deaf citizens should not have to fight for interpretation when accessing police, courts or government services.
The organisation is calling for stronger legal recognition of NSL, professionalised and properly funded interpreters, accessible education and healthcare, and greater inclusion of deaf people in policymaking.
“Nothing about deaf people should be decided without [them],” Gotlieb says, warning that human rights must be lived, accessible and enforceable – not confined to policy documents.
