Eric Wainaina @PeopleDailyKe
From a distance, conspicuous sounds of unrhythmic drum beats emanating from the All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi rent the air.
Inside the church, a women choir is performing in gestures at the pulpit, as the rest of the faithful follow quietly. What is striking is the lack of synchrony between the choir and drum beat.
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Why so? It was not an ordinary church service at the All Saints’ yesterday, as the faithful with hearing impairment took charge in a special integrated supervision. Congregants without hearing impairment followed the service with the help of a sign language interpreter Jack Owiti.
Rev Paul Njatha, who is also deaf, presided over the service aimed at creating awareness on the hearing disability and also encourage people learn the sign language.
Njatha is also the director of Deaf Opportunity Outreach.
Create awareness
Although the All Saints’ Cathedral normally has an exclusive church for the deaf within the compound with 150 members, yesterday, the members with hearing disabilities were honoured to lead the main joint service.
Bradley Namulanda, chairman of the special ability ministry at the cathedral, said the joint service was not only meant to create awareness but also ensure inclusivity, adding that the church intends to organise such sessions more often.
“We want people to view the deaf just like any other person which can only happen if we incorporate them in our activities,” he said.
Diana Wambui, whose organisation—Sign Language is Cool—was part of the service facilitators, said the primary aim of the special service was to give abled people the need and reason to learn sign language.
“If we have such initiatives often in our society, people will see the need to learn the sign language just like any other for effective communication which has been a challenge,” she said.
Wambui suggested sign language be taught in primary schools.
“Most people struggle with empowerment of the deaf and dumb people but it is not sustainable. Even if you give them capital to start business, they hardly succeed because of the language barrier,” she said.
Paul Muthoka, a faithful with hearing impairment, vouched for the proposal of sign language teaching in schools, saying it would lead to an integrated society.
“There are very many things deaf and dumb people can do, including working in offices but we cannot because you will have to get a translator. Even joining high schools and institutions of higher learning is a problem but if all learn the language, we can interact with everyone and fit anywhere,” he said.
