Deaf cultures and Sign Languages of the world: Lesotho (Lesotho)

Created 10 April 2000, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

Lesothan flag David Bar-TzurLesothan flag

map of Lesotho

Flag: World flag database.
Map: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.

For a quick, interesting resource for facts about this and other countries,
try Mystic Planet - The New Age directory of Planet Earth.

Note: A flag next to a link shows what language the website is in. If it is followed by this icon: (video camera: This links to a video), it is a video in that spoken language. A flag followed by Sign Language iconmeans it is in the sign language of that country. globe (international icon)Sign Language iconmeans there is International Gesture.

Deaf advocacy and politics Deaf education & youth Lesotho Sign Language Organizations Religion & Deafness

Deaf advocacy and politics

GlobaLex - The Law and Legal Research in Lesotho - Protection of Disability Rights. Language Board, whose responsibility shall be to promote and create conditions for the development and use of all official languages, including sign language.[20] The South African Constitution clearly recognises the need for PWDs to express themselves in a language of their own, sign language and further prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in section 9(3).

Deaf education & youth

around the world by clown: EUROPE #1/SOUTHERN AFRICA #4 (my favorite). Scroll down to "KANANELO CENTER FOR THE DEAF." The third place that we visited in Lesotho was the Kananelo Center for the Deaf. Run by sisters from the convent, it is incredibly poor, surviving on donations that come in the shape of a grant for a building, or electrical wiring (but there is no generator to supply any electricity), t-shirts for the kids, staple foods, but very rarely money.

EENET. (2004, October 13). The Lesotho Video Story. Although the video was produced in 1996 it continues to be a highly relevant training package today. This is partly because no other video material demonstrates the implementation of inclusive education in the context of limited material resources, large class sizes, teachers with no specialist training and schools located in remote rural areas. In fact EENET has received more enquiries about the video in the last 6 months than at any time previously. Issues that have been raised recently are the need to translate the video, sub-title, or caption it, and have it digitalised, which will improve the sound quality.

Miles, S.

golden marble bullet(2001, May 31). Overcoming Resource Barriers: the challenge of implementing inclusive education in rural areas. I have chosen to focus on resource barriers because they are the most widely used excuses for not promoting inclusive practice, even in the most apparently well-resourced educational settings. My teaching colleagues in the UK claim that they would be capable of so much more, 'if only there were more resources'. A lack of resources is perceived as a barrier to inclusion across cultural, geographical and economic boundaries. It is therefore important to understand what we mean by resources and begin to tackle the problem. Resources can be divided into human resources, material resources (money!), and access to information and knowledge.

golden marble bullet(2000, December 27-29). Enabling Inclusive Education: Challenges and Dilemmas. I will argue in this paper that: unless diversity is welcomed, and relationships are consciously nurtured, there will be little change in the educational experience of disabled and other marginalised children. Of course, policy and legislative change is desirable, specialist skills can be useful and a greater financial investment in schools would be excellent, but good working relationships are critical.

golden marble bullet(1998, June 4). Disability as a Catalyst for Sustainable Devlopment: a Policy in the Making paper (Paper 2). Lessons learnt from the experience of implementing community based disability programmes in southern Africa have potential relevance for other types of community development work with which Save the Children Fund (SCF) is involved. It is argued in this paper that the disability work in southern Africa has gone further than many other types of community development work in understanding the complex issues of participation and empowerment.

Mittler, P. International experience in including children with disabilities in ordinary schools. This paper was originally prepared for a meeting organised by UNICEF to stimulate discussion on the possibilities of inclusion in Tunisia. It was written in response to a request to provide examples of countries where inclusive policies were being implemented. Most of the examples refer to countries in the Middle East or North Africa or to other French or Arabic speaking countries.

(2006). NADL EMBARKS ON PROJECT TO PROTECT THE DEAF. In an interview, the Secretary of the Association Ms Likopo Lesoetsa said the purpose of the project which started earlier this month, is to sensitize the Government and the entire community about the learning difficulties faced by deaf people in Primary and High Schools.

(2007). NADL SENSITIZES MAFETENG COMMUNITY. The National Association of the Deaf in Lesotho (NADL) is currently holding a sign language workshop for Service Providers in Mafeteng. The Secretary General of the association Miss.Likopo Lesoetsa said teachers as service providers will be enlighted on how to use sign language to teach children with hearing disability... She expressed hope that this training will break barriers between education service providers and children with disability.

THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO ADDRESSES CHALLENGES FACING LESOTHO -VICE CHANCELLOR. One of the learners from Itjareng Rehabilitation Centre Miss 'Maseabata Setaka appealed to the government to provide them with aiding material at learning institutions that are used by the disabled, such as Braille for visually impaired persons. She further emphasized the need Sign language to be taught at Primary and Post Primary schools in an effort to enable effective communication between those that are not able to speak and those that can speak.

Lesotho Sign Language

Ministry of Education and Training - Promoting sign language in all sectors of education. Minister Tsekoa went further to mention that in particular the education system does not effectively provide access to education for death children mainly due to lack of sign language interpreters in schools. Again majority of teachers do not have skills in sign language, and that has huge implications on access to education for the deaf.

NADL SENSITIZES MAFETENG COMMUNITY. The National Association of the Deaf in Lesotho (NADL) is currently holding a sign language workshop for Service Providers in Mafeteng. The Secretary General of the association Miss.Likopo Lesoetsa said teachers as service providers will be enlighted on how to use sign language to teach children with hearing disability... She expressed hope that this training will break barriers between education service providers and children with disability.

THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO ADDRESSES CHALLENGES FACING LESOTHO -VICE CHANCELLOR. One of the learners from Itjareng Rehabilitation Centre Miss 'Maseabata Setaka appealed to the government to provide them with aiding material at learning institutions that are used by the disabled, such as Braille for visually impaired persons. She further emphasized the need Sign language to be taught at Primary and Post Primary schools in an effort to enable effective communication between those that are not able to speak and those that can speak.

Organizations

World Federation of the Deaf membership information: National Association of the Deaf Lesotho. Contact info only. Scroll down to the country name.

Religion & Deafness

(2008, February 27). The Deaf Hear and lots of People are Baptized in the Holy Spirit! Jesus opened a deaf ear in the middle of the city. A lady passing by the outreach was deaf on one ear, but Jesus performed a miracle and she went home with perfect hearing! Many people were also saved on Saturday's outreaches.

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