Monday marked the beginning of the annual International Week of Deaf Awareness under the theme ‘Full Inclusion with Sign’ and in Guyana the observances will culminate with a cultural show featuring dance, drama and drumming put on by the deaf community.
According to a release from the Deaf Association of Guyana, the one-week observance is an initiative of the World Federation of the Deaf, which advocates for the 70 million deaf people worldwide and the over 300 different sign languages ‘spoken’ used among them.
The release said that the theme for this year could not have been more appropriate for Guyana where September is Education month as well as Amerindian Heritage month.
“Sign language is the cornerstone of Deaf education and Guyana Sign Language, a mosaic of local ways of signing along the coast and in the hinterland, constitutes an important but undocumented heritage of Guyana’s Deaf community,” the release said.
It further stated that the theme, ‘Full inclusion with Sign Language’, speaks to the vision of diversity and social cohesion realised through full acceptance of and respect for the visual language of the deaf.
The cultural show will be held on Sunday 24th September under the theme ‘Deaf Got Talent’ at the Theatre Guild, Kingston. For enquiries, persons can call 225-4489 or 647-3597.
