Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Guyana hosts first sign language expo
Cholmondeley right of Persaud along with Mr. and Mrs. Hallahan and others
The Kitty Deaf Club of Georgetown, on Sunday, held its first Annual Guyana Sign Language Exposition at its headquarters, 151 Thomas Street, Kitty, to ‘celebrate the language and culture of the deaf.’
Club Coordinator, Mrs. Nalini M. Persaud, along with Mrs. Traci Cholmondeley and others of the club as well as Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hallahan of the Guyana Deaf Mission Church, worked together to make the event a success.
“The club’s main objective is having the deaf interact with each other and learn through guest lectures how to face their challenges and equip themselves to take their rightful place in society.”
At present there are about 50 members of the club.
Although in the past many families would hide their children with such afflictions, today this has changed dramatically in many places around the world, even here in Guyana.
Mrs. Persaud and Mrs. Cholmondeley are a true example of what the deaf are capable of accomplishing.
With the assistance of Mrs. Mary Hallahan, an American who is serving here in Guyana, who with husband Mr. Lawrence Hallahan, Ministers of the Guyana Deaf Mission Church, Persaud and Cholmondeley were able to share their views.
Persaud said that the deaf can do so much more if they had the opportunity.
They are involved in sports and other creative activities such as participating in craft, community service, teaching and learning new things, as well getting involved in entertaining.
“People are afraid to have themselves out there because they think that because of their disability others will shun them.”
Instructors and members alike think that more is needed to be done in helping others come to the full realization that being deaf is not the end of the world.
Rather it is what you do with your gifted abilities that matters the most.
Persaud thinks that the President of Guyana should play a vital part in this venture, as well as the Ministries in finding it compulsory to have schools in and out of Georgetown equipped with the necessary teaching aids and programmes for those who are deaf.
According to Mrs. Cholmondeley, a former graduate of Burrowes School of Art, and at present one of the few instructors assigned to assist with the teaching and organizing of the programmes, said that the deaf want to have the same opportunities and recognition as anybody else.
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