(Middle): Rose Adili Moses, Secterary General of the Network of Persons with Disabilities in CES. (Photo: Eye Radio).

The Network of Persons with Disabilities in Central Equatoria State has expressed deep concern over the absence of sign language interpreters in key state institutions, including police departments and hospitals.

The group’s secretary general, Rose Adili Moses, said the situation has created inconveniences for people with special needs and limited their ability to communicate effectively and access essential services.

She stressed that without sign language interpreters, it becomes nearly impossible for people with hearing impairments to express themselves and communicate their needs.

Rose believes that in South Sudan, the majority of institutions, especially police stations, hospitals, and schools lack sign language interpreters.

“If there is no sign language interpreter, it means its impossible for a person with hearing impairing to communicate and share what he or she want to say,” she told Eye Radio on the occasion of the commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

“Currently in South Sudan, the majority of institution do not have sign language interpreters especially in police stations and hospitals.”

“They face a lot of challenges to address their cases where they will miss communication tools where you find their rights are being violated. Same thing happens in the schools where hearing impairing you find them looking at the teachers talking without understand any thing.”

In South Sudan, an estimated three per cent of the 11 million population are deaf or hard-of-hearing, according to NGO Light for the World.

The country has no official national sign language and this has forced people to resort to a mix of locally used signs, Kenyan, Ugandan and Arabic Sign Languages, the organization said.

It states that without a common language, the deaf community faced serious barriers in information, education and health care.

Light for the World has collaborated with the National Association of the Deaf and the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare to formalize locally used signs to develop a national sign language in a process that took years to complete.