Friday, September 14, 2012

Blog 3: Ghana: Deaf Students Cry for More Interpreters


 9/14/12
12:50pm




The article that I read talks about the deaf community in Ghana West Africa and how the students there are forced to pay for sign language interpreters. Many people think that this is unfair including the President of the Deaf Association of Ghana, Mr. Emmanuel Sackey. He has called the help of the government to help the deaf get access to higher education. He feels that it is unfair that the deaf students pay their fees and charges for a sign language interpreter. The article talks about how there has been a shortage of sign language interpreters in the tertiary institutions. Mr. Sackey stated that some of the deaf students who have the opportunity for higher education won’t be able to continue if certain institutions realize they don’t have a sign language interpreter. I don’t think that this is fair to those students who can’t afford the assistance that they need so that they can further their education. I think that if they cannot afford a sign language interpreter there should be some way that they can be assisted in getting one. There shouldn’t even be a charge for needed a sign language interpreter in the first place. I believe that this is something that is necessary for the development of those deaf students who need it and want to further their education. Unlike here at UNCG, there are sign language interpreters that are appointed to deaf students who need them without being charged for it. Disability services should be something that Ghana has to help students in a situation like this. The article also mentioned Dr. Obeng Asamoah, who is the Executive Director for the Ghana Blind Union and he feels that the government is responsible for the payments of the interpreters for the disable to enjoy their rights. He also added that in a situation where a disabled person is denied education because of the unavailability of an interpreter, it means the persons rights have been infringed upon. The article also goes on to mention how some students had to put their education on hold because the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) supporting them said they were short of funds.




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