Hundreds learn sign language thanks to travelling UAE roadshow

DUBAI // Hundreds of adults and children have learnt the art of sign language thanks to a travelling roadshow.

The Hear Us Sign campaign involved a customised lorry, which made stops across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah and Fujairah, to help engage the deaf community.

“Numbers attending have run into hundreds,” said Catherine Peters, a speech and language therapist at the Kalimati Speech Communication Centre in Mirdif, which organised the roadshow.

“All the campaigns attracted families with younger children, who had no experience of the deaf and were fascinated by the fact that some people can’t hear anything and there are people who can’t speak words.

“One boy said ‘but everyone can speak’, and then learnt how he could speak with his hands,” said Ms Peters.

The roadshow concluded on Wednesday to mark the start of the Hear My Voice – Empowering the Deaf conference.

“The response to the campaign overall has been very successful with each emirate having a different response, outcome and results,” said Ms Peters.

“They were all successful on different levels.”

The campaign was fronted by Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi, the United Nations ambassador at large for the Arab and Gulf region.

“The message of using sign language to communicate as a real language for the deaf came across throughout the campaign,” said Ms Peters.

Especially in Fujairah where there were an equal number of deaf Emiratis to deaf people of all nationalities who visited the roadshow, she said.

According to the Word Health Organisation, more than 5 per cent of the world’s population – about 360 million – has disabling hearing loss.