The late Nelson Mandela once said.

 “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.”

Despite above the Deaf Community is perhaps the only disadvanced minority group in South Africa that was being discriminated against in the old apartheid and are still being discriminated against.

Everyone in South Africa have access to thousands of support groups and professionals like child line, lifeline, abuse, drugs and Alcohol groups as well as many other personal, family and business support groups, except the deaf community because of the telephone and communication barrier.

Everyone in South Arica have access to the Government via the many telephone numbers etc. but the hearing impaired community is excluded from that and even if they go to a Government institution there is very few officials that have the patience or empathy to help them.

Everyone in South Africa can almost even before birth already gather and collect information and build a “reference system” about a LOT of things via their ability to HEAR but a deaf person is excluded from this massive chunk of information in their referral system.

Even while the Affirmative Action legislation that I myself helped to establish “support” disabled persons the reality is that it’s not about disabled people and even then almost always focus on physical (and visible) disabled people and not hearing impaired people.

There IS a lot that can be done to help the hearing impaired community in South Africa but the main problem is that those that CAN help (the hearing people and Government), ignore those that have the knowledge and understanding to help and THIS petition is to fight for the dignity and equal human rights of hering impaired people in South Africa.