Rwandan Sign Language in Practice

• In Event: Putting Rwandan Sign Language on the Map

Proposal

While a nationally recognized RSL conveys an important message to all Rwandans, efforts to promote RSL in schools and communities will continue with or without formal recognition. Research shows that a national sign language should be the primary language of instruction for deaf students and educational materials should be developed with sign language built in (UNICEF 2019).

In Rwanda, REB has made remarkable strides over the past several years to increase the number of reading materials for students, particularly early grade students. These materials include a range of supplementary readers and textbooks; however, the majority of these materials exist in traditional print form only. To build strong literacy skills, students who are deaf require significant and early exposure to RSL. This presentation will showcase several efforts to make teaching and learning materials accessible for young students who are deaf in Rwanda. From working hand-in-hand with the Rwandan deaf community, eKitabu will provide examples of RSL videos and accessible readers that enable students to acquire a first formal language that they can use and understand and to access reading materials on a path to literacy. This work also builds directly on consultations with five National Associations of the Deaf in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia under UNPRPD and UNICEF’s Accessible Digital Textbook project. The presentation will introduce the process to collaboratively develop minimum standards for accessible digital materials for students who are deaf. As more ministries of education place a larger emphasis on integrating ICT in education, this presentation will provide useful reflections for practitioners who seek to support these types of activities.

Author

• Will Clurman, eKitabu