Did you know that almost 10.000 people in the Czech Republic use sign language? And that, globally, there are over 70 million deaf people all over the world, most of which use sign language to communicate?
Blog post written by Ondrej Folk (director of the International Department of the Czech National Disability Council) and Phillipa Tucker (EDF)
Free Czech Sign Language lessons
In the Czech Republic, human rights defenders at the Czech Disability Council are working hard to increase those numbers in their local context. As part of the Ascend project, the Czech Disability Council provides free lessons in Czech Sign Language.
The Ascend project aims to grow the skills of people with disabilities and people working on disability issues. There are several areas in which the project touches, but a significant emphasis has been put on communication. Ondřej Folk, the project manager, explains:
We are happy to use the occasion that the Ascend project offers to increase our communication skills. We meet people who use Czech sign language or with hearing impairments, in general, almost every day, but most of us are not able to do even a basic exchange with them. The sign language courses can improve the situation, and we can get at least some fundamental principles of communication with sign language users.
High interest for a rare opportunity
The interest and uptake have been more significant than folks and colleagues expected.
There is a lack of available sign language interpreters and courses (in particular, those that are free of charge) in the Czech Republic. An opportunity like the one provided by the Ascend project does not come along every day. The motivations of the participants of our sign language courses are diverse: many of them have shared our concerns that they are working with people with hearing impairment but do not have enough skills to communicate with them. Some of the participants are hard of hearing, people who can use sign language in everyday life. Some even work for our member organisations representing deaf or hard-of-hearing people.
A popular choice
The Ascend project also aims to grow youth engagement in the disability movement and build knowledge and use of European and International policies and programmes so that people with disabilities can know about and demand their human rights. Each country has chosen to implement their work differently. In the Czech Republic, the need for a sign language course was an unusual but popular choice. The funding provided by Citi Foundation through the European Disability Forum, allowed for these lessons to be rolled out.
One has some basic notions about sign language. However, there are challenges that one gets to know only when trying to learn it. In any case, it is a specific language, quite different from the languages I have learnt before. Even the way to put down the words to revise them at home is not so easy. The courses are also a good test for our fine motor skills – which can sometimes create funny moments. So the courses can also be seen as a sort of team building.
A word from the European Disability Forum
At EDF, we are impressed and excited about how the Czech team has taken up this opportunity offered by Citi Foundation.
The Czech Disability Council is bringing people together to shed light on the issue of communication and national recognition of sign language by providing free lessons to all. EDF is glad to be involved in such a great initiative to support the disability movement and the deaf community in particular.
– said Marion Steff, Manager of the EDF International Cooperation section.
Who is involved in the project?
- Ondřej Folk is the director of the International Department of the Czech National Disability Council (Národní rada osob se zdravotním postižením ČR) which is a Czech umbrella organisation with a countrywide province and whose fundamental aim is to advocate, promote and meet the rights, interests and needs of persons with disabilities, regardless of the type or extent of their impairment.
- Phillipa Tucker, Eastern and Central Europe Coordinator at the European Disability Forum, is a European African human rights defender with a background in research, movement building, and diversity and inclusion. Phillipa manages the Ascend project.
About the Ascend project
The Ascend project is funded by Citi Foundation and done in partnership with the national umbrella organisations in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia:
- Bulgaria: National Council of People with Disabilities in Bulgaria
- Czechia: The National Council of Persons with Disabilities of the Czech Republic
- Hungary: Hungarian National Council of Federations of People with Disabilities
- Romania: Romanian National Disability Council
- Slovakia: Slovak Disability Council
Image credit: CC BY 4.0 – Wellcome collection (Actors performing ‘Don Guzman’ to an audience of deaf people – found on Europeana)