Officials called for South African Sign Language to be incorporated into public services and information systems.
South Africa’s Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has called for South African Sign Language to be integrated into public services to improve access to information and government services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
Speaking at the launch of Deaf Awareness Month, the department’s Chief Director for Advocacy and Mainstreaming, Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Phuthi Mabelebele, said accessible communication should be incorporated into government planning, budgeting, procurement, monitoring, and accountability systems. She also called for public service information, including emergency and disaster communications, to be provided in accessible formats.
South African Sign Language was recognised as an official language following the signing of the South African Sign Language Bill into law in 2023. The department said improving accessibility in public services is necessary to enable Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to access information and exercise their rights on an equal basis.
Why does it matter?
As more public information and services are delivered through digital and other communication channels, inaccessible formats can prevent people with disabilities from accessing essential information and services. Making accessibility part of government planning and procurement can help address these barriers before services are introduced.
For Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, access to information in a recognised language is closely connected to participation in public life. Ensuring that communication systems and public services accommodate South African Sign Language can therefore support more equal access to government and civic services.
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