Engaging the Young Parliamentarians in Kenya Towards a more Inclusive Kenya

Memorandum

on

The Plight of Deaf Kenyans

and the opportunities to right the wrongs of Kenya's largest marginalized community

Population: Estimated 1 Million – WHO estimates 15% of the world population have disabilities. This estimates encompasses persons who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, Hard of Hearing, a socio-linguistic cultural minority who use Kenyan Sign Language in their communications. Mostly these individuals are in urban areas but many remain hidden in their homes due to stigma and shame associated with this disability. Statistically, however there is still a large number of persons with hearing loss who go about life without identifying themselves with the larger Deaf community nor use Kenyan Sign Language in their every day life. There is a great need to have the correct number of persons who are Deaf for proper service delivery and national planning.

Historically, the Deaf people in Kenya have been left out of mainstream societal development due to their language and culture. This explains the marginalization of this minority group in the earlier history of Kenya. Missionaries, educationists and foreign volunteers saw this and working with the locals established the first schools for the Deaf in the late 1950's and early 1960's in Western, Central and Coastal regions of the country. Deaf Kenyans use Kenyan Sign Language which had it's 'formal' existence traced to the schools of the Deaf. Like elsewhere in the world, the hearing world (speaking communities) have held negative attitudes towards the deaf persons, deafness and hearing loss. Many people believed and still do that the Deaf cannot be taught, are dumb, retarded or incapable of carrying out daily activities such as reading, cooking, taking care of children or having a job or a family. Thus many of the parents on discovery that they have a Deaf child they will often go into denial, hide the child and seek medical intervention to correct the deafness or hearing loss. This often leads to frustration both for the parents and the child who will miss out on language acquisition that normally happens at this age, gets late admission into school etc Society also contributes to further marginalize the Deaf in Kenya through their lack of awareness on Deafness. Our schools are created to be Audist (hearing superior) in nature, when you look at the languages taught they emphasize on writing, listening (hearing), reading (speaking) which practically locks out the Deaf child from being part of the education system where not all teachers in the schools for the Deaf comprehending or having training in Kenyan Sign Language.

Looking forward how do we move on? There are strides we have made as a nation that puts us ahead of many nations in Sub Sahara Africa and indeed among the global community. Kenya ratified the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities in May 2005, followed by enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2005 and most recently the Constitution of Kenya 2010 have reaffirmed Kenyans commitment to form a government based on the essential values of human rights, equality, freedom, democracy, social justice and the rule of law.

With these adoptions and enactments are to naught if these laws are not implemented, enforced or exercised. This memorandum takes a look on how the Jubilee administration can and should move forward in empowering the Deaf community in Kenya to enjoy their rights, have a more productive quality life away from the shackles of oppression, stigma, discrimination and violations that have dominated their lives for hundreds of years.Here is how.....

Our Constitution recognizes Kenyan Sign Language a national language at par with Kiswahili and English due to its national and cohesive attributes. Kenyan Sign Language is one of the languages of parliament and by extension the senate and county assemblies. The constitution is also very clear on the rights of Deaf Kenyans to use Kenyan Sign Language in every day life, to enjoy Deaf culture and to be free from discrimination as a linguistic minority. Articles 7 (3b); 27(4); 35 (1b); 44(1); 54 (1d); 56 (d); 120 (1)

1. Enactment of a Kenyan Sign Language Act – a legislation that would define the issues of deafness covering the early intervention for children, care and treatment of hearing loss; establishing a Kenyan Sign Language Institute to research, document and provide guidance on Interpreters training, employment and regulation.
2. Recognize, promote, accept and facilitate the use of Kenyan Sign Language - the more the citizens see this happen, families and communities will follow the lead that the government has taken to use the language in public and thus liberate the Deaf Kenyans form the stigma they so often experience.
3. Facilitate the research, development and learning of Kenyan Sign Language and the promote the linguistic identity of the Deaf community – the language currently is under-researched, documentation has been scanty with little happening in higher institutions of learning. Establishment of a Kenyan Sign Language institute would facilitate the research and learning of the language, history and culture of the Deaf Kenyans. The institute would ensure that teachers for the Deaf, interpreters and linguists are trained and deployed to the various needy institutions that require their services.
4. Provide information intended for the general public in Kenyan Sign Language this will ensure all Deaf Kenyans can seek, receive and impart information on an equal basis with others. With the employment of professional interpreters this will be achieved.
5. Urging and encouraging the private entities that provide services to the general public to provide information and services in Kenyan Sign Language – hospitals, schools, universities, banks, parastatals, government agencies, the police, courts etc will have provision to provide services in the language by employing Deaf Kenyans or interpreters for accessibility of their services.
6. Encourage the mass media to make their services accessible in Kenyan Sign Language – a lot of communication and information from government is passed by the media to the general mostly in the national languages of Kenya. This should be the same for Kenyan Sign Language, have Interpreters work with the Presidential Press Office, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Office responsible for National Events. The National Assembly through the Research office has done the same in collaboration with KBC.
7. Employment – affirmative action in the public service to employ qualified Deaf Kenyans to work within the public service sector.

Implementation of the above will result in the following:-

1. Kenyan people will change their attitudes towards Kenyan Sign Language and the Deaf community, Deaf culture and deafness.
2. Deaf people will have more or better access to information, education, political and socioeconomic activities or interactions.
3. Deaf people will gain more confidence in the learning process, self-expression, in communicating with hearing people and in enjoying their rights.
4. Improved quality of life for Deaf Kenyans through employment opportunities for Deaf individuals.

Moving towards quality interpretation in Kenya

Dear Practicing Interpreter in Kenya,

Here are resources that will help you improve your interpretation services

the Interpreters Friend

Terp Topics

To this end coming soon will be a course  for the Diploma, Degree and Masters program. See St. Paul University

"A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices

that constitutes a way of viewing reality

for the community that shares them."

                                                    - Yahoo Education  definition of PARADIGM

My two cents to KTN and Standard Media Group

My two cents to KTN and Standard Media Group

Feedback on the Sign Language News casting Initiative

First and foremost the initiative is commendable, it is a second time KTN has initiated an inclusive approach to its news programming. Signed News in the 1990s was a breath of fresh air for the Deaf community, in those days they had to wait for parliamentary debates and Joy Bringers on KBC to enjoy news in native Kenyan Sign Language. The past week has been a welcome relief, with news in Kenyan Sign Language at prime time; however there has been several issues come up over the week. According to both researchers and interpreters, interpreting for live TV broadcasts is almost unanimously regarded as more stressful than other forms of interpreting (Strolz 1997; Kurz 2002), the main reason being that interpreting for a mass audience entails a much bigger exposure in case of failure than the one felt in conventional conference settings.

This article will mention the issues and offer some steps to get us to the full accessibility cliché.

1. Now to the issue of KTN initiative, first the inner politics is that the interpreters stole the idea from some Deaf young people who wanted to approach the media houses including KTN. This is an ethical issue, it reflects on the conduct of the individual and taints the interpreters in and within the Deaf community. Interpreters are neutral non biase professional who serve as facilitators of communication between the hearing (speaking) and the Deaf. Interpreters do not work for, on behalf of the Deaf community, they work along side, with the Deaf – not helping or speaking for but as professionals. Be that as it may, the initiative is a bold step towards accessibility.
2. Selection and use of interpreters – it is a myth that there are few interpreters, qualified and ready to work on television. (here is a list of 100) There are interpreters all over Kenya, however they were trained, qualified – the key is to use the Deaf Kenyans themselves to validate, clarify and know who is best suited to interpret on television. There exists standards and criteria to select and eliminate those who can and can not offer the best services. The basic criteria would be judging individuals against Code of Ethics – this would eliminate at least half, then professional experience like number of hours worked under similar experiences, borrowing from other interpreters of Spanish or French and use those standards in the absence of signed language standards. (read how to work with interpreters)
3. The small box has reduced considerably in one week it has moved from a 6X6 to a mere 2X3 inches. If yu were to sit and look at that small box for an hour, your eyes will pain and you will be having a pounding headache. It is not standard to have the box that small – the argument as it has been over time even during the presidential debate was all for aesthetic reasons – too crowded, distraction or unclean just the graphics and producers not understanding the nature and characteristics of signed languages and the usage.
4. Continuation from the point above Signed Languages have a visual nature, it is often misunderstood that the Deaf are fully satisfied by seeing the hands only. The following are some features that make sign language different from the other languages.

• Facial Expression – frowns, lifted eye brows, puffed cheeks or slight grin or smile among other facial expressions are part of signed languages. They complete the sentences or add meaning to expressions. With a squeezed image on a caption or box all these attributes are lost. In turn you have a block of a human figure moving their hands yet their face is dark or hidden with lots and lots of meaningful expressions that the viewer is denied.
• Placement – the upper torso of the human form is the story board of any sign language user. It is the area where people, events and things are placed for sequence and easy locating or moving as the story unfolds. With a squeezed signing area it is difficult to place items of news in a logical and sequential order.
• Shoulder shifts – these are movements to differentiate speakers especially when you have multiple individuals talking or debating. Again with a squeezed screen space it is impossible to enjoy the flexibility and dynamism that signed languages have to offer.
• Movement – similar to placement, this feature of signed languages enable the users of signed languages the opportunity to showcase a story line and progression in a space that enable clarity.
• Handforms and Shapes – the foundation of all signed languages is the existence of forms and shapes these carry meaning much like the words that we speak. Proper lighting and color blend of background, clothes of the interpreters enable the viewers users of signed languages see the words and enjoy the news interpreted.

5. Worldwide there have been researches done to ascertain the interpreter burn out rates. These studies have shown that it is good to have interpreter change over after a 20 minute duration. This change over gives the interpreters. The human brain loses concentration after 15-20 minutes, this is true with interpreters too. The interpretation process takes a lot in the mind and body of an interpreter as they process, take in and give information relayed to them in a second or third language. These breaks allow the interpreter to give their best, allowing them to give a better more accurate, culturally and linguistically correct interpretation of the information they are receiving. Interpreters worldwide work in pairs and as teams this is for the issues above and for health purposes.
6. Quality control and assurance is a vital component. Most of the issues that come up about interpreters are issues of quality that could be addressed by training and capacity building. When a mechanism exists that offers checks and balances it develops the interpreter and increases their accuracy in service provision. A feedback platform would capture the same, but more importantly a way to deal with the feedback so that it is meaningful and beneficial first to the concerned interpreters and then to the Deaf community via a selected representation that has clear scope and engagement.
7. Continuous growth and development of interpreters. If any professional stops learning, they stop growing and they die professionally. Seek to engage institutions that would build interpreters comprehension of English, Kiswahili and their working language Kenyan Sign Language.
8. For greater integration and inclusion, a program by the Deaf for the Deaf would be a natural development as a follow up to the interpreted newscasts. This will empower the Deaf community especially young children learning sign language and also change the perception of the general public who view the Deaf as objects of initiatives rather than fellow human beings with gifts, skills and talents that can be shared.

Deaf consumers of interpreting services have become more informed and are demanding higher quality interpreting services that meet their individual needs. In considering the need for a new job profile, “media translators/interpreters”, Kurz (1990: 173) suggests, following Laine (1985: 212), that “the media require a new breed of interpreter: a hybrid – someone who is a successful translator, interpreter, and editor, all in one” and this profile should include “flexibility, speed, a wide general knowledge and a complete lack of fear or embarrassment”.

interpreter’s performance in live television interpreting: quality, visibility and exposure

interpreter’s performance in live television interpreting:

quality, visibility and exposure

Live television interpreting has increased in recent years and is commonly seen as one of the most difficult and stressing forms of interpreting. However, both the actual difficulty and stress involved highly depend on the physical and technical conditions the interpreter has to face in every particular situation. The main goal of the article is to examine the salient variables: visibility and exposure since they will determine the quality standards achievable in each particular case, and the quality of the interpreter’s performance and awareness of all actors involved in the process shall be raised with regard to their relevance.

Looking back in history we trace the origins of television interpreting to the early 1990s. Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation KBC was the first to have sign language interpreters for various programs including – Joy Bringers, Parliamentary Live Broadcasts, Kiswahili Kitukuzwe and other UNDP sponsored talk shows such as Agenda Kenya which have been shown on various networks. KTN at this time brought the program News in Sign Language which had a news wrap up and a segment on learning sign language. All these initiatives were earlier preparations for things to come.

Two decades later a lot has changed, Kenyan Sign Language has been entrenched in the Constitution of Kenya, many Deaf Kenyans through social media and travels are in contact with each other and with other Deaf citizens across the globe. Earlier attempts by the Persons With Disabilities Act 2003/5 never gave solution to the issues of inclusion and integration. This Act is currently being amended and will soon be tabled in parliament for a clearer more decisive actionable items. With these changes a few things remain unchanged and we will visit those late in this article. The push for access to news and information within the Deaf community in Kenya has over the years taken various forms and shapes.

KBC the national broadcaster has been largely looked at as the pioneer to language access for the marginalized and the unreached populations. The vernacular stations or services have been loved and associated with it. Sign language has been a frontier KBC has not shied away from. It has continually brought the language to Kenyans albeit the slow and uncoordinated effort to reach the Deaf in Kenya. With these developments several precedence have been made by the newscasters without consultations with the Deaf communities. The caption or small box is one such issue, the second being the in-coordinate recruitment of interpreters and lack of involvement of key sign language users or professionals.

In February 2013 all media stations in Kenya come together, to for the first time bring all presidential aspirants on one platform and engage them in a dialogue. Prior to this event, the Kenya National Association of the Deaf – KNAD wrote several letters to the Ministry of Information, the media houses and to the Media Council urging them to consider honoring the provisions the Constitution of Kenya, the Persons with Disabilities Act 2003/5 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which Kenya ratified in 2005. The Ministry of Information's permanent secretary then Dr. Bitange Ndemo agreed to meet with the Deaf leaders from KNAD, though these meetings yielded very little since the media house owners didn't have a legal framework to force them into a binding agreement to offer accessibility to the Deaf either by interpreters or captioning. This lead the Deaf community holding a protest march early February 2013 just before the Presidential Debate. This protest marched to three main buildings – the Ministry of Information, KTN and the Nation Media offices. Prior to this the Nation Media Group were taken to court by CRADLE challenging their refusal to make their programs accessible to persons who are Deaf. The Nation Media Group has since appealed the decision – it is still pending in court. It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds.

As we talk about the behind the scenes of what has been happening in the last couple of months. We have had a rise and rise of demand for television stations to appeal to audiences. The programming has seen several changes and additions. Since I am no media analyst I will stick to my area of expertise and talk about the sign language on television. Firstly, we look at KBC and the parliamentary interpretations service. When it began it had one 'Interpreter' signing for a whole day – Wednesday thru Friday. The 'interpreter' then didn't think about his service, quality or other customer service. The 'interpreter' due to exhaustion would end up in a incoherent spur of gestures, unclear signs and even often into explanations of what was going on rather than interpreting.

KNAD collected comments, recommendations and suggestions from the Deaf community in Kenya. They then wrote letters of complaints to KBC, Parliament and Ministry of Information. What followed was a series of meetings that lead to having at least three or four interpreters working with clear terms of reference and accountability. The situation there has been somewhat better – not perfect but the engagement has been fruitful – many Deaf Kenyans are able to enjoy access to parliamentary debates. The not so perfect issues with KBC has been the question the principle on which KBC believes that parliamentary proceedings are important to be interpreted while other news items do not deserve the same service – KNAD has been in discussions with KBC over this and maybe now that KTN began news interpretation it might be the next in line.

UNDP's Agenda Kenya has had a share of criticism on its use of interpreters. Their main issues have been use of interpreters who do not know, do not care to learn the sign language and the ability to use it in various settings/fields. The issues here were mainly clarity and ethical consideration on issues of dress, language and level of discourse. When approached, they quickly rectified the situation by calling on the Deaf to verify and help the interpreter become more clearer and able to deliver interpretation that was of professional standard. 

It would be disastrous not to mention the issues surrounding the presidential debate interpretation. Just after the protest by the Deaf on Nairobi streets (See more here) the Deaf and Interpreters who participated learnt that there was a group of interpreters who had privately negotiated to interpret the debate with the media houses, using personal contacts they had secured the deal while not involving the prime clients to be served the Deaf. However the debate went on, the media houses never settled the issue not remunerated the interpreters that replaced their counterparts. The Standard Media Group was the custodian of the FORD Foundation fund for the presidential debate. They gave several promises to KNAD and the interpreters up to date there has not been a conclusion to the matter.

My two cents to KTN and Standard Media Group

First and foremost the initiative is commendable, it is a second time KTN has initiated an inclusive approach to its news programming. Signed News in the 1990s was a breath of fresh air for the Deaf community, in those days they had to wait for parliamentary debates and Joy Bringers on KBC to enjoy news in native Kenyan Sign Language. The past week has been a welcome relief, with news in Kenyan Sign Language at prime time; however there has been several issues come up over the week. According to both researchers and interpreters, interpreting for live TV broadcasts is almost unanimously regarded as more stressful than other forms of interpreting (Strolz 1997; Kurz 2002), the main reason being that interpreting for a mass audience entails a much bigger exposure in case of failure than the one felt in conventional conference settings.

This article will mention the issues and offer some steps to get us to the full accessibility cliché.

1. Now to the issue of KTN initiative, first the inner politics is that the interpreters stole the idea from some Deaf young people who wanted to approach the media houses including KTN. This is an ethical issue, it reflects on the conduct of the individual and taints the interpreters in and within the Deaf community. Interpreters are neutral non biase professional who serve as facilitators of communication between the hearing (speaking) and the Deaf. Interpreters do not work for, on behalf of the Deaf community, they work along side, with the Deaf – not helping or speaking for but as professionals. Be that as it may, the initiative is a bold step towards accessibility.
2. Selection and use of interpreters – it is a myth that there are few interpreters, qualified and ready to work on television. (here is a list of 100) There are interpreters all over Kenya, however they were trained, qualified – the key is to use the Deaf Kenyans themselves to validate, clarify and know who is best suited to interpret on television. There exists standards and criteria to select and eliminate those who can and can not offer the best services. The basic criteria would be judging individuals against Code of Ethics – this would eliminate at least half, then professional experience like number of hours worked under similar experiences, borrowing from other interpreters of Spanish or French and use those standards in the absence of signed language standards. (read how to work with interpreters)
3. The small box has reduced considerably in one week it has moved from a 6X6 to a mere 2X3 inches. If yu were to sit and look at that small box for an hour, your eyes will pain and you will be having a pounding headache. It is not standard to have the box that small – the argument as it has been over time even during the presidential debate was all for aesthetic reasons – too crowded, distraction or unclean just the graphics and producers not understanding the nature and characteristics of signed languages and the usage.
4. Continuation from the point above Signed Languages have a visual nature, it is often misunderstood that the Deaf are fully satisfied by seeing the hands only. The following are some features that make sign language different from the other languages.

• Facial Expression – frowns, lifted eye brows, puffed cheeks or slight grin or smile among other facial expressions are part of signed languages. They complete the sentences or add meaning to expressions. With a squeezed image on a caption or box all these attributes are lost. In turn you have a block of a human figure moving their hands yet their face is dark or hidden with lots and lots of meaningful expressions that the viewer is denied.
• Placement – the upper torso of the human form is the story board of any sign language user. It is the area where people, events and things are placed for sequence and easy locating or moving as the story unfolds. With a squeezed signing area it is difficult to place items of news in a logical and sequential order.
• Shoulder shifts – these are movements to differentiate speakers especially when you have multiple individuals talking or debating. Again with a squeezed screen space it is impossible to enjoy the flexibility and dynamism that signed languages have to offer.
• Movement – similar to placement, this feature of signed languages enable the users of signed languages the opportunity to showcase a story line and progression in a space that enable clarity.
• Handforms and Shapes – the foundation of all signed languages is the existence of forms and shapes these carry meaning much like the words that we speak. Proper lighting and color blend of background, clothes of the interpreters enable the viewers users of signed languages see the words and enjoy the news interpreted.

5. Worldwide there have been researches done to ascertain the interpreter burn out rates. These studies have shown that it is good to have interpreter change over after a 20 minute duration. This change over gives the interpreters. The human brain loses concentration after 15-20 minutes, this is true with interpreters too. The interpretation process takes a lot in the mind and body of an interpreter as they process, take in and give information relayed to them in a second or third language. These breaks allow the interpreter to give their best, allowing them to give a better more accurate, culturally and linguistically correct interpretation of the information they are receiving. Interpreters worldwide work in pairs and as teams this is for the issues above and for health purposes.
6. Quality control and assurance is a vital component. Most of the issues that come up about interpreters are issues of quality that could be addressed by training and capacity building. When a mechanism exists that offers checks and balances it develops the interpreter and increases their accuracy in service provision. A feedback platform would capture the same, but more importantly a way to deal with the feedback so that it is meaningful and beneficial first to the concerned interpreters and then to the Deaf community via a selected representation that has clear scope and engagement.
7. Continuous growth and development of interpreters. If any professional stops learning, they stop growing and they die professionally. Seek to engage institutions that would build interpreters comprehension of English, Kiswahili and their working language Kenyan Sign Language.
8. For greater integration and inclusion, a program by the Deaf for the Deaf would be a natural development as a follow up to the interpreted newscasts. This will empower the Deaf community especially young children learning sign language and also change the perception of the general public who view the Deaf as objects of initiatives rather than fellow human beings with gifts, skills and talents that can be shared.

Deaf consumers of interpreting services have become more informed and are demanding higher quality interpreting services that meet their individual needs. In considering the need for a new job profile, “media translators/interpreters”, Kurz (1990: 173) suggests, following Laine (1985: 212), that “the media require a new breed of interpreter: a hybrid – someone who is a successful translator, interpreter, and editor, all in one” and this profile should include “flexibility, speed, a wide general knowledge and a complete lack of fear or embarrassment”.

Word to my Fellow Interpreters on Television Interpreting

There are constant references to the problems faced by TV interpreters, regardless of the label employed by the scholar in question (problems,challenges, working conditions, drawbacks), and this generates a lengthy list of elements that should be taken into consideration by prospective interpreters before embarking themselves upon such a venture; to the point that, according to Mack (2001: 130), the job of TV interpreters is “extremely risky and stressful”. Firstly, those aspects where the interpreter may find at least some (even if slight) room to manoeuvre, that is, where different degrees of response will be seen depending on the interpreter’s ability to cope with such conditions. This still makes it possible to find professionals that are (again even if slightly) more suitable for the job.

Amongst these requirements we may find: maximum coordination when voicing or matching speech with culturally relevant and linguistically accurate signs; matching signing skills to those of TV professionals; meeting high expectations on the part of the viewers, who see interpretation as part of the product they are watching; having to cope with typical TV time management, since things happen at a very high speed; additional stress if failure, due to media exposure; interpreting late at night or on short notice, therefore, not having time to prepare the assignments; having to deal with a large number of topics, a variety of formats and structures, numerous participants and various viewpoints; not having time to get used to a particular accent or speaking style; having to meet different and high expectations from both the participants, the audience and the employers. The more reason to choose your assignments carefully and be ready to be criticized harshly at that.

Refrences

óscar Jiménez Serrano Backstage conditions and interpreter’s performance ...University of Granada, Spain

AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conferénce) (2004) “Media interpreting – A different sort of world”, Technical and Health Committee <http://www.aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/article91.htm>.

Amato A. (2002) “Interpreting legal discourse on TV: Clinton’s deposition with the Grand Jury”, in G. Garzone / P. Mead / M. Viezzi (eds) Perspectives on Interpreting, Bologna, CLUEB, 268-290.

Dal Fovo E. (2011) “Simultaneous interpretation on television – Coping with coherence. A corpus-based study on topical coherence in simultaneous interpretation on television: the question/answer group”. Second International Conference on Interpreting Quality, Almuñécar, Granada (Spain), March 24-26 2011, <http://ecis.ugr.es/granada_2011_abstracts.pdf>.

Access to information protest march by Deaf Kenyans

seven things you should know before calling the Deaf Kenyans names for protesting on the streets...

Access2InfoDemo - Deaf and KSL Users on the streets

Kenya National Association of the Deaf demonstrated outside Nation Centre on 6th February 2013, demanding all television stations should have Kenyan sign language interpretation or without that they should insert or have closed caption/sub-title of television programming, saying Deaf and hard of hearing persons are excluded from information passed through TV, and it is their right to have access to information. reported the Nation 

The association of the deaf is holding a demonstration outside the ministry of information offices demanding 24/7 sign language interpretation inserts or closed captions on all TV stations. They will later protest outside nation center demanding NTV to obey the court order given last year. the Star reported

Access2InfoDemo - City Hall Way - before stopping at the Supreme Court

Comments and Statements from journalists, readers of online blogs and social media can be found below:

Nation Website 

My Storify post (Owitie)

  

TV Caption NOW

Here are some of the issues that the journalists and critics did not tell you.

1. This is not the first time the issue of Sign Language interpretation on Kenyan media is being discussed. There have been debates about this since time in memorial - as long as Deaf Kenyans and Television have been there, there has always been a discussion on accessibility of information for persons who are Deaf or hard of hearing. In 2007 the then Assistant Minister for information Koigi wa Wamwere said " The Government has no powers to compel media houses to introduce sign language. However, it has written to all media houses and the Media Owners Association, asking them to introduce sign language in their television news casts....media houses moved to court in 2004 after the enforcement of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2003, and obtained a ruling prohibiting the Government from compelling them to introduce sign language." ( The Nation Nairobi, 14 June 2007) 

This position has been overtaken by the events of the promulgation of the new constitution of Kenya 2010. In 2010, KSL was recognized in the new constitution of Kenya as an official language of the Kenyan Parliament. This language is believed to have originated in the first deaf schools, in the early 1960s in western Kenya (Okombo & Akach 1997). The constitution states the following about Kenyan Sign Language 

The Constitution of Kenya clearly recognizes KSL as a Language; 

1. Article 120, recognizes KSL as one of the official Languages of Kenyan Parliament. 
2. Article 54(1) (d) entitles Deaf and Hard of hearing persons to use KSL while 
3. Article 7(3) (b) mandates the government to promote the use and development of KSL.

including all the other tenets that talk about equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination and protection of the marginalized; the use of Kenyan Sign Language is equal to the other rights - Human Rights and Rights of persons with disabilities with the limitations as  much that they are reasonable and justifiable.

Deputy PS Info, Richie, KNAD Chair at TelePosta Tower

2. There have been numerous correspondence between the Deaf Association and the ministry of information, communications commission of Kenya (CCK) and the media owners (who have ignored all letters, requests for round table talks or call/social media) There have been communications from the legal counsel representing the association of the Deaf and from Deaf individuals or groups acting on their behalf. There is even a court order on the same issue to one of the media houses (see NTV vs CRADLE) 

3. Non of the reporters will explicitly talk about this article - “Section 39 of the Persons with Disabilities Act imposes an express obligation on all persons in the position of a media house to provide access to persons with hearing disability access to the information that they impart in their television programmes,” This right is as important as the freedom of worship or owning property or using English or Kiswahili, if it takes one million signatures to call for an amendment to a clause in the constitution or call for a referendum process then Kenyan Sign Language Users are large enough to be heard and treated equally in Kenya.

at NMG tower

4. The protest was about access to public information for Deaf Kenyans/users of Kenyan Sign language. In many communities in Kenya people with disabilities are denied the right to vote and stand for election. The right to vote restricted from people without full legal capacity, yet the vast majority of people including those without verbal communication, can express an opinion with adequate support. Political disenfranchisement further increases the political invisibility of people with disabilities and their needs and concerns, and makes it easy for policy-makers to ignore their demands. 

Animated display of displeasure by SENECA Guard company refusal of entry to NMG tower

5. Kenya ratified the UN Convention on 19 May 2008. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes and secures Deaf people’s linguistic rights. The most significant achievement for Deaf people is that article 2 defines sign languages as languages, more to say, they are considered equal to spoken languages. Sign languages have complex rules of grammar and expansive vocabularies, and are comfortably capable to be used in everyday conversation, intellectual discourse, rhetoric, likewise wit, and poetry. Sign languages in each country are found to have dialects, just as spoken languages do. These rights are protected by the UN Convention by its five articles that have a direct reference to Deaf people and sign languages (See: Article 2 ; Article 9.2.e ; Article 21.b and 21.e; Article 24.3.b and 24.3.c and 24.4; Article 30.4).

getting the attention - vuvuzela, whistle, posters, flyers

6. Deaf people face many barriers when using public and private services. This is frequently due to a lack of awareness of the needs of Deaf people on the part of service providers, and insufficient communication support. Deaf people with visual impairments (for example those with Usher syndrome) or other disabilities are especially disadvantaged. Because English is often their second language, Deaf KSL users do not always have full access to written information. Service providers therefore need to use interpreters wherever necessary 

insisting to be heard, the guards said NMG - NTV director not in...increasing agitation  

7.Telecommunication service providers should review their services with emergence of KSL. Relay, Video conferencing and Multimedia services are appealing to KSL users due to the visual nature of the language. The media especially television will need to take into account the needs to use KSL interpretation professionals for its news and programs or embrace captioning and subtitling for equal accessibility.

Responsibilities of the Deaf Citizens

Learn your language, document it, teach it and use it in pride with pride. Deaf pride will be the mantra! Organize yourselves to share the rich culture, history and language. You remain as the only true ambassadors of your communities. Use the language, teach it, record it and share it on the internet, youtube, Deaftube etc are media avenues available for you.

Mr. Politician - watch this!!!

Kenyan Sign Language has gone through a historic monumental experience over the last three decades and it is with a lot of pride that the Kenya National Association of the Deaf KNAD looks back at the legacy of our forefathers, they have struggled and some have passed on without seeing the joy or benefits of their struggle to have KSL recognized, mentioned or accepted in our country. We salute men and women who since 1987 and earlier have advocated and stood their ground in making this historical moment possible. Posterity indeed will forever be grateful to the various individuals and organizations that have supported this cause.

Congrats to Nation Media group. Nation Television Managing Director finally addressed us and listen to our issues. He promised to work with KNAD and ensure we are represented in presidential debate planning process as well as having news accessible in sign language . First engagement to start this Saturday for presidential debate preparation.

Finally Mr. Linus Kaikai emerges to speak with the protesters 

Mr. Kaikai listening to complaints from Deaf Protesters

NTV'S Managing Editor Linus Kaikai (Right) addressing to demonstrators from Kenya National Association of the Deaf as they are translated in a sign language by two of their colleagues(Left and back) when they demonstrated outside Nation Centre on 6th February 2013, demanding all television stations should have Kenyan sign language interpretation or without that they should insert or have closed caption/sub-title of television programming, saying Deaf and hard of hearing persons are excluded from information passed through TV, and it is there right to have access to information. 

The Kenya National Association of the Deaf (KNAD) is a legal Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The organization was founded and registered in 1987 with the Government of Kenya under the Societies Act of 1968 rule 4. The mission of KNAD is to advocate Human and Linguistic Rights of the Deaf Community in Kenya. KNAD membership is drawn from affiliated associations active in all the 47 Counties of Kenya.

I leave you with this message as you think about the above. President Obama's message to Kenyans (by the way on Youtube it is captioned!)

Interpreter Services in Kenya - A Critical Analysis of Interpreter Services for the Deaf in Kenya

Interpreter Services in Kenya - A Critical Analysis of Interpreter Services for the Deaf in Kenya

"....the Deaf in Kenya are ‘a special linguistic minority….special because (the approximately 700-800,000 Deaf Kenyans) by nature of their disability cannot operate effectively in any of the spoken majority languages (English and Kiswahili)’.  This predicament brings us to the whys of the clamor for recognition of the language and thereby ‘legalization’ and use of KSL." Professor Okoth Okombo of the University of Nairobi linguistics department 

On behalf of the Deaf community in Kenya, the Kenya National Association of the Deaf – KNAD – a non-governmental organization registered in 1987 with the government of Kenya under the Registrar of Societies Act of 1968 rule 4 representing approximately 600-800,000 Deaf people in Kenya; I address this topic wearing three hats as a Hearing Kenyan, Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) User and finally as an Interpreter. These three qualifications among others gives me enough reference point and authority to speak on this issue.

It is estimated that Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) is the first and preferred language of between 700-800,000 people in the Kenya. The Kenyan Deaf community consists of individuals who come from ALL the 42 tribes of Kenya and are united by a common language – KSL, a shared culture, tradition and history; KSL is fundamental to their self-esteem and social well being. Deaf Kenyans regardless of tribe, gender or religion uses KSL as a medium of communication and for official transaction of business, school, religious activities and social interactions. KNAD believes that official recognition of KSL would bring clear benefits to many thousands of Deaf people in terms of improved access to information and essential services. 

As a country we have already made a significant commitment to protect the rights and improve services of the Kenyan Deaf people by the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2003, Kenya has also ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 18^th May 2008. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes and secures Deaf people’s linguistic rights. The most significant achievement for Deaf people is that article 2 which defines sign languages as national languages, more to say, they are considered equal to spoken national languages. The key to the achievement of Deaf people’s basic rights in Kenya is to respect the right to use Kenyan Sign Language.

I strongly believes that recognition of Kenyan Sign Language in the new Constitution, under the following articles 

Article 7(b) the state shall promote the development and use of indigenous languages, Kenyan Sign language, Braille and other communication formats and technologies accessible to persons with disabilities. 

Article 27

(4) The State shall not discriminate directly or indirectly against any person on any ground, including race, sex, pregnancy, marital status, health status, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, dress, language or birth.

Article 44

(1) Every person has the right to use the language, and to participate in the cultural life, of the person’s choice.

(2) A person belonging to a cultural or linguistic community has the right, with other members of that community--

(a) to enjoy the person’s culture and use the person’s language; or

(b) to form, join and maintain cultural and linguistic associations and other organs of civil society.

Article 49

(1) An arrested person has the right--

(a) to be informed promptly, in language that the person understands, of--

(i) the reason for the arrest;

(ii) the right to remain silent; and

(iii) the consequences of not remaining silent.

(c) to communicate with an advocate, and other persons whose assistance is necessary;

Article 50

(2) Every accused person has the right to a fair trial, which includes the right--

(m) to have the assistance of an interpreter without payment if the accused person cannot understand the language used at the trial.

(3) If this Article requires information to be given to a person, the information shall be given in language that the person understands.

(7) In the interest of justice, a court may allow an intermediary to assist a complainant or an accused person to communicate with the court.

Article 54

(1) A person with any disability is entitled--

(a) to be treated with dignity and respect and to be addressed and referred to in a manner that is not demeaning;

(b) to access educational institutions and facilities for persons with disabilities that are integrated into society to the extent compatible with the interests of the person;

(c) to reasonable access to all places, public transport and information;

(d) to use Sign language, Braille or other appropriate means of communication; and

(e) to access materials and devices to overcome constraints arising from the person’s disability.

(2) The State shall ensure the progressive implementation of the principle that at least five percent of the members of the public in elective and appointive bodies are persons with disabilities.

Article 56

The State shall put in place affirmative action programs designed to ensure that minorities and marginalized groups--

(d) develop their cultural values, languages and practices

Article 120

(1) The official languages of Parliament shall be Kiswahili, English and Kenyan Sign language, and the business of Parliament may be conducted in English, Kiswahili and Kenyan Sign language.

(2) In case of a conflict between different language versions of an Act of Parliament, the version signed by the President shall prevail.

Article 259

(2) If there is a conflict between different language versions of this Constitution, the English language version prevails. 

specifying it as one of the national and official languages to which 700 – 800,000 Kenyans use in their everyday lives in their homes, churches, mosques, schools, in commerce, in courts, meetings, social events and official business it will uphold our national values and principles of Chapter 3 of the draft will promote the participation of the Kenyan Deaf people in public affairs, to share in the devolution of power and ensuring full participation of the Deaf - men, women, youth and children persons with disabilities, a marginalized  socio-linguistic minority community in the political, social and economic life of the nation of Kenya. 

With these developments demand for qualified Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) interpreters is rapidly growing and is impacting the deaf community. Current indications are that Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) will be the new emerging language in Kenya. The new constitution  gives KSL preeminence on the clauses addressing issues of persons with disabilities as a language of communication for the Deaf in Kenya. The Kenya National Examination Council in January 2010 issued a circular making KSL an examinable subject in equal stature with English and Kiswahili. There is also an increasing number of students in Tertiary and Universities requiring the services of qualified, certified and competent interpreters. Kenya and the region is also budding with international conferences and forums involving the Deaf citizens thus widening the opportunities for interpreters.

Current training programs are unable to keep up with the increased demand for highly-trained interpreters with a nationwide interpreter shortage as the result. The Kenyan Sign Language Interpreters Association (KSLIA), the national professional associations of sign language interpreters, Kenya National Association of the Deaf – KNAD, Global Deaf Connections and the Ministry of Education have also recognized the insufficient numbers of interpreters available to meet the market’s demand. The issues identified have been the lack of interpreter training programs, although some colleges, universities and private companies with interpreter training programs are aware of the need for improved quality and availability of training, many are simply unaware of the extent of the interpreter shortage in the community.

The Deaf Aid project Kenya Registry of Interpreters and Transliterates for the Deaf (KRITD) in its white paper declared a “national interpreter crisis in the quantity, quality and qualifications of interpreters.” This white paper identifies how stakeholders can collaborate to marshal resources to increase and improve interpreter training programs to help meet the urgent demand to train larger numbers of new interpreters and upgrade the qualifications of existing interpreters. The Persons with Disabilities Act (PWD Act 2003) requires public institutions to provide “qualified readers or interpreters and other similar accommodations for individuals with disabilities” The major need is in public schools and higher education, but health care providers, hospitals, courts, public safety and other government offices are also seeing increased demand.

Simultaneously, Deaf consumers of interpreting services have become more informed and are demanding higher quality interpreting services that meet their individual needs. Consumers and consumer organizations have expressed interest in being substantively involved in the identification, development, and delivery of the educational opportunities provided through these proposed areas of intervention. 

In order to train qualified interpreters to better meet the demand from consumers and consumer organizations, interpreter educators must be sufficient in number and be knowledgeable of current best practices. I suggest that the interpreter community in Kenya needs to embrace a three Cs that would change this profession.

1. Certification - the need to transform the learning methodology of interpreters. Currently any otieno, kariuki, musyoki, njeri, kalekye and nasimuyu goes into a church for the Deaf, school or a local training program and by three months they are declared a trained interpreter after learning basic sign language. There is more to learning a language than a 3 month course on vocabulary, signs and finger spelling. The Kenya Sign Language Research Project at the University of Nairobi needs to be transformed into a Deaf Studies Institute or its slumbering sister the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) could pick up that role. There is a curriculum at Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), there are examining bodies and quality assurance standards worldwide that can ensure we have professionals in this field. Teachers, Plumbers, Lawyers, Accountants etc have certification processes that qualify one to be in the cohort. Interpreters have no other option - get trained, get certified. I have held the position that we need to take the KIE curriculum, train an initial Core Trainers, Replicate this over the 47 Counties and develop a certification program through the various levels of tertiary education - certificates, diplomas and degrees. However since our academicians respect degrees and schools KNAD would partner with various universities to offer training for Deaf Studies, Deaf Education, Interpreting and Linguistics. 
2. Continuing Education - Skill upgrade is important it is a core component of 1 above. 
3. Conflict Resolution - KNAD (the Deaf) KSLIA (Interpreters) and Government of Kenya (public) would have a forum to deal with professional tort issues with this third pillar. Since human interpretation will never be perfect and standardized there are ethical issues to be considered in this consumer/service provider dispute resolution mechanism.

To address these issues and to contribute toward the education and training of a sufficient number of qualified interpreters to meet the communications needs of individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and individuals who are Deaf-blind, there needs to be a move to provide legislation in the form of a Kenya Sign Language Bill or Kenya Language policy that will govern the issues described above. Since these are a far off, in the immediate future the three Cs remain a good foundation for KNAD, KSLIA and other stakeholders need to critically think about.

As we debate the almost 800,000 Deaf Kenyans go about life not fully getting the information about  voter registration, insecurity in Baragoi/Tana Delta or a lecture at the university hall or classroom or during the 9 o'clock bulletin - you may ask but they could read the papers? due to the poor quality of teaching methods in the schools for the Deaf literacy remain low. That is a discussion for another day - however it touches heavily on the access to information to persons with disabilities and the Deaf are not the only ones affected. 

the best languages for passing on information in Kenya include not only the official and national languages but also the various indigenous languages, braille for the blind and sign language for the Deaf. Okombo 2001