new book connects deaf and hearing

   Jabulani Dube (BTM fellow)

SOUTH AFRICA – 05 November 2008: For a long time deaf and hearing people seemed to be living in different worlds with a few hearing people able to sign or understand sign language. This gap appears to have been bridged, thanks to a new book Deaf me normal.

Edited by Ruth Morgan, the book is a compilation of inner thoughts and stories of issues that deaf people face in their communities including deaf gays and lesbians.

It was launched by Unisa Press in Collaboration with Constitution Hill on Saturday 29 November 2008 and aims to build a bridge between the deaf and the hearing worlds so that hearing people can access the hidden lives of deaf South Africans

“I wrote this book because I wanted to document the lives of deaf people told in their own language. It is also about their identity and visibility and to address the barriers to communication, information and education that they often face,” Morgan said.

At the launch Constitutional Judge, Justice Albie Sachs was a key speaker.  He reminded the audience that deaf community is fully represented by the constitution of the country.   
Sachs stressed that people should learn sign language and stop being “ignorant”.

Deaf me normal forms part of Unisa Press’s Hidden Histories Series. It is available at Exclusive books and other bookshops in the country.