Kenyan Sign Language
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Kenyan ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
Sign Language (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: KSL, Swahili: LAK) is a
sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
used by the
deaf community Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
and
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: ๐’ˆ๐’๐’‘๐’›๐’๐’˜๐’•๐’–; ar, ุงู„ุตูˆู…ุงู„, aแนฃ-แนขลซmฤl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. It is used by over half of Kenya's estimated 600,000 deaf population. There are some dialect differences between
Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...
(western Kenya),
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
(eastern Kenya) and Somalia. (See
Somali Sign Language Somali Sign Language (SSL) is a sign language used by the deaf community in Somaliland and Djibouti. In the 1980s a school for the deaf was established in the Somali Kenyan town of Wajir by Annalena Tonelli. Students there became fluent in Ken ...
.)


Language situation

As well as Kenyan Sign Language, a number of other languages have been used for instruction in Kenya:
Belgian Sign Language Flemish Sign Language ( nl, Vlaamse Gebarentaal, VGT) is a deaf sign language of Belgium. It is closely related to French Belgian Sign Language, but they are now generally recognized as distinct languages. VGT is estimated to include around 6,0 ...
(in one school only),
British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...
(in one school only),
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...
, KIE
Signed English Manually-Coded English (MCE) is a type of sign system that follows direct spoken English. The different codes of MCE vary in the levels of directness in following spoken English grammar. There may also be a combination with other visual clues, suc ...
, and even
Korean Sign Language Korean Sign Language or KSL ( or ) is a sign language used for deaf communities of South Korea under the North-South Korean border. It is often referred to simply as , which means signing in general. KSL is currently one of two official language ...
.Ethnologue report
It is probable that students in these schools use a form of KSL regardless. A
manual alphabet Fingerspelling (or dactylology) is the representation of the letters of a writing system, and sometimes numeral systems, using only the hands. These manual alphabets (also known as finger alphabets or hand alphabets) have often been used in deaf ...
exists mainly from the American Sign Language manual alphabet. However the British manual alphabet was used in the early years.


Status and recognition

KSL currently has no legal status, but there is a proposal that Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) and Braille should be recognized in the country's new
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
as national and official Languages alongside
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and Swahili. Interpreters are rarely available, and usually 'unqualified' uncertified due to the lack of a training program/certification process.


Kenya Sign Language Interpreters Association

Kenya Sign Language Interpreters Association was set up by a group of 20 local interpreters after a training by the first Deaf Education US Peace Corps Volunteers in September 2000. Prior to this training there were several short term trainings conducted by KSLRP/KNAD dating back to 1980s and 1990s. SLIAref name="kslia.blogspot.com"/> is an indigenous initiative evolving and strengthening the face of the Interpreting profession in Kenya. SLIAref name="kslia.blogspot.com"/> hopes to improve and elevate the standards of Interpreting in Kenya through the following objectives: # To secure official recognition by the government of SL interpreters profession; # Encourage and promote initiatives in improving the standards of SL interpreting and interpreter training and pay scale of interpreters depending on their level and skills of interpretation through certification; # Cooperation with other recognized bodies concerned in the welfare of the deaf and in provision of SL interpreters throughout the world; # Awareness creation on Deafness and SL interpreters through publication of information materials; # To collect and raise funds for the achievement of goals and objectives through membership fee, subscription, contribution, gifts or donations, commissions and payments, fund raising whether in money or otherwise from both members and non-members; # To maintain and administer a registry of SL interpreters in Kenya, enforce a code of ethics and mediate conflict between the interpreters and their clients. KSLIA is working towards the establishment of a training program and a certification process for its membership. SLIAref name="kslia.blogspot.com"/> envisions its role in a three-pronged approach - the three C's - Certification of members, Continuing education for the practising interpreters and Conflict resolution through enforcement of the Code of Ethics. Global Deaf Connection, Deaf Aid, and KSLIA have jointly organized a series of trainings aimed at developing a process to provide training, certification and continued professional development for Kenyan interpreters.


Dictionaries and Education

A Kenyan Sign Language dictionary was published in 1991. KSLRP working with Peace Corp Volunteers have recently developed an interactive digital dictionary ( SL Interactive A new online dictionary and mobile application have been published at www.ksldictionary.com since the year 2014. ( SL Dictionary KSL is not generally used in the classrooms of Kenya's 35 residential
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
s for deaf students, despite it being their main language, and reportedly literacy in English and Swahili is very low among the deaf community. Since the first deaf schools were established in the 1960s, the teaching staff rarely (if ever) included a deaf person, until a government program in the 1990s (spearheaded by the Kenya National Association of the Deaf) saw two deaf individuals trained and employed as teachers. However, the program is now continued by Global Deaf Connection chaired by Nickson Kakiri. It is based at Machakos
Teachers College A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...
.


Sign language organizations

The Kenya National Association of the Deaf (KNAD) is a national
non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...
formed and managed by Deaf people. It was established in 1986 and registered in 1987 under the Societies Act; KNAD is also an ordinary member of the
World Federation of the Deaf The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international non-governmental organization that acts as a peak body for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on Deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends. WFD aims ...
. The
Kenyan Sign Language Interpreters Association ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
(KSLIA) is a national, non governmental, Society formed and managed by Kenyan Interpreters to promote the development of the Interpreting profession in Kenya and to provide quality Interpretation services for Deaf Kenyans. It was established in September 2000. KSLIA is working on becoming a member of WASLI World Association of Sign Language Interpreters.


Sign Bilingual Schools

Humble Hearts School Humble Hearts School, Kenya's first bilingual school for the deaf using Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) and English on an equal basis, was started by Beatrice Anunda on 9 September 2003. Anunda was taught Kenyan Sign Language in the University of Nair ...
in Nairobi,
Kisii School for the Deaf Kisii School for Deaf Children is Kenya's only Deaf-run and deaf-led school for deaf children. Founded by Peter Ogango, the school is based in Kisii town, the capital of Kisii County Kisii County is a county in the former Nyanza Province in s ...
and Kenya Christian School for the Deaf at Oyugis use KSL as the language of instruction. Humble Hearts School is Kenya's first sign bilingual school where KSL and English are taught on an equal par. Kedowa School for the Deaf in Kericho District also uses KSL for instruction, and is unique among Deaf schools in Kenya in that more than half of the teachers at the school are Deaf themselves.


Notes


References

*Kenyan Sign Language dictionary, Akach, Philemon A. O. Nairobi : KNAD 1991 - 580 p. Language: English


External links


1996 interview with Simeon Ogolla
HIV/AIDS education program using Kenyan Sign Language. This site contains much useful information as well as photos of the Kenyan Deaf community.

Kenyan Sign Language Interpreters Association - KSLIA. Official blogspot with information on Kenyan Interpreters and Interpreter issues.
Report from a US volunteer
visiting Kenya to work with the Deaf community through an NGO.
Demonstration of KSL CD
developed by Peace Corps Volunteers working in Kenya.
KSL HIV/AIDS SmartQUIZ
- Computer based interactive KSL HIV/AIDS quiz, developed by Peace Corps Volunteers working in Kenya
Easy to Learn KSL Poster
- Easy To Learn Kenyan/Zambian Sign Language poster, developed by Peace Corps Volunteers working in Kenya
Kenyan Sign Language Dictionary
- Kenyan Sign Language Dictionary
Kamba and Kikuyu Kinship Terms
Contrasting the Use of Kamba and Kikuyu Kinship Terms by Deaf and Hearing Individuals in Nairobi, Kenya {{sign language navigation Kenyan Sign Language family Languages of Kenya