Bahrain schools stress value of sign language

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Report by Zahra Ayaz

In order to teach sign language, the Al-Ahd Al-Zaher Secondary School for Girls established a team called “Aid Al-Wasal” as part of an initiative to spread the culture within the school community.

After becoming more aware of the communication challenges the hearing disability group experienced, a sign language team is formed.

The team is also aiming to provide the necessary support to integrate people with special needs, in all areas.

As per the reports, there are over 11,000 differently abled citizens in the Kingdom and majority of them are male.

According to the official figures, there are 11,738 disabled persons; 6,974 of whom are males and 4,764 are females. 4,409 are classified as mentally disabled and 3,508 physically disabled, while others include hearing impaired and visually impaired.

The Kingdom has been taking many measures in recent years to ensure the wellness of the special needs population.

“During the pandemic, there was a lot of free time, and I proposed to my mother the idea of learning sign language and I started learning the basics,” Haneen Haider Hashem Al Nuaimi, the coach of the “Aid Al Wasal,” said in a statement.

“I made the decision to join up for a program to study the fundamentals of sign language, and I went to a session offered online by the Kingdom of Jordan. I believe we need to support the deaf community, build a team, and teach others sign language.”

Earlier, Labour and Social Development Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan discussed the society’s initiatives in cooperation with government and private institutions, including holding workshops, training courses and seminars in the framework of carrying out the mission of the society and translating its strategy in order to contribute to caring for the deaf.