Deaf Education in

South Africa
Claudine Storbeck
Fulbright Scholar
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa
South Africa - Facts
• Southern tip of Africa
• 9 Provinces
• Size – > than France, Italy &
Germany combined
• 35° south latitude (CT =
distance from equator as
Sydney and Los Angeles)
• Leading producer of gold,
platinum, chromium and
much of world’s diamond
market
South Africa – The people
• 45 Million people
• > 20 ethnic groups
• 11 Official Languages
• Predominantly Christian
• National Anthem has 5
languages

Asians
Coloureds
3%
9%
Whites
10%

Africans
78%
South African - Politics
• South African Democracy is born in 1994
• South Africa's national anthem

Nksi sikelel' iAfrika

Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa
imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa la matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika.
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.
 South African History
• Brief Timeline

Colonisa-
tion from Slavery Union Of Apartheid Bannings & Tumultuous Decade of
Early Times Europe abolished SA State unrest early 90’s Democracy

1400 1652 1834 1910 1948-59 1960-89 1990-93 1994-2004

Various Hugenote Slavery Union Apartheid ANC ANCwins
black Settlers abolished founded, initiated in SA leaves unbanned, 1st non-
peoples arrive and The after which various commonwe Mandela racial
settle in Importing Great Trek the ANC is forms alth- released, elections,
South Africa Slaves founded republic, armed Mandela
from East ANC armed struggle 1st
Indies & struggle suspended, president of
Madagasc UN lifts democracy,
sanctions TRC, New
. Constitutio
n, Thabo
Mbeki, AU
South African Laws
• 1996 - South African Constitution
• promote, & create conditions for the
development & use of ... sign language
• 1996 - South African Schools Act
• South African Schools Act, 1996
Chapter 2.6 No 4
A recognised Sign Language has the status
of an official
language for purposes of learning at a public
school.

• 1997 – Integrated National Disability

Strategy
• 1997 - Language in Education Act
• 2001 – White Paper 6
• Building an Inclusive Education System
 Education in South Africa
Mainstream Education
• Recently adopted an Outcomes
Based Education system (OBE)
→ Curriculum 2005
• Inclusion – broad philosophy
as a reaction against apartheid
and oppressive education
• Education for all
• Equal Education for all
• + Human rights approach says
– equal outcomes for all
Deaf Education
• Teachers battle to implement
Outcomes Based Education
system (OBE)
→ Curriculum 2005
• Inclusion: there is a false
assumption that inclusion is
bad or that all schools will
close down
 South African Deaf Community

The great
debate 1st Deaf National SASL Deaf New
1 school
st
begins Clubs Association dictionaries Leadership Conference directions

1863 1881 1923/4 1928/9 1980+92 1995 1998 2004

1st school for Oralism The 1st two 1st 1980 SANCD 1st DEAFSA
the Deaf in formally Deaf Clubs conference “Talking to becomes International relaunches
Cape Town, adopted in initiated in for workers the Deaf” DEAFSA Conference with new
started by SA due to Cape Town in deafness, published (which is on Deaf vibrant logo
Irish nuns the Milan and Pretoria which was and in 1990 allowed Education 1st Deaf
conference respectively the the “South membership women
precursor to African Sign of WFD), 1st 1st National elected as
the birth of Language Deaf director DEAFSA the Chair of
the National Dictionary” of DEAFSA Indaba DEAFSA
Council for (6 volumes elected
the Deaf and hotly
. contested)
Deaf Education in South Africa
• 1.6 million Deaf people in
SA
• 200 – 300 000 users of
SASL
• 43 Schools for the Deaf
• Religious roots
• Historically racially
established
• Residential schools
• Language policies vary
• 1/3 functionally illiterate
• 70% unemployed
How do we challenge the status quo…?
• Train Teachers of the Deaf (not yet compulsory)
• Honours and Advanced Certificate level
• Teachers reflect our population
Preparing our Teachers …
• Content Knowledge
• Skills
• Challenge their philosophy,
their paradigm …

• We acknowledge plural
identities
• Deaf
• hearing
• Racial
• Language
• Gender
• Religious
• other
Research
• Train Deaf researchers to do research into SASL
• Provide opportunities for training, sharing, growing
• Empower
Community Service
Community Service – Deaf Baby programme
• Yet…. despite all we are doing as a
Country and as a Deaf Community
• Decade of democracy leading to true transformation
• Policies and legislation are in place
• Inclusive philosophy prevails
• Lobbying has gone well

……. it seems as if we are not doing

enough
Asking the unasked
questions …..
What are the issues of concern?
• Why such high levels of illiteracy?
• Why are most Deaf learners vocationally/skills oriented?
• Why do we allow our kids to be chanelled so soon
• Why is the distribution of success (h vs D) so different?
• Why are educational outcomes so different (content and
level)
• Why is employment still a problem?
Why aren’t progressive policies
implemented
• Perhaps we have not thought through the implications…?
• Perhaps we have not thought through the strategies (short,
medium and long term)
• Perhaps we don’t have the resources and need an interim
plan
• Perhaps we are just not implementing them…?
What does it mean to be a good teacher
of the Deaf?
• Teacher efficacy
• Communication skills
• Effective and appropriate discourse
• The correct knowledge, skills & attitudes
The unasked questions …
• Is Sign Language enough…?
• Is Deaf Culture enough…?
• Is Bilingualism enough…?
• Why reject inclusion in favour of the status quo?
• Do we need a new theory…?
• Is there a Deaf Pedagogy…?
What needs to be done…?

• We need to start asking more questions (both re-

asking the old and asking new/ unasked
questions)
• We need to reflect (and be BOLD)
• We need to challenge the status quo (current
theories, practices
• We should truly aim for equality/