According to a study and initiative conducted by Peace Corps volunteers, “Kenyan health services are often unable to serve the Deaf adequately due to the language barrier… Kenya suffers from a lack of adequate health education materials for the Deaf. While there are many materials designed for the hearing in English, Kiswahili and other spoken languages, materials using sign language have not been created at a scale necessary to serve Kenya's roughly 300,000 Deaf. Many people mistakenly assume that English or Kiswahili materials can also serve the Deaf community. This is an inadequate solution. Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) is the "native tongue" of Deaf Kenyans. Other languages are acquired slowly and often poorly in Kenya's few schools for the Deaf.
As any health professional knows, matters of life and death are best discussed in the native tongue to avoid miscommunication. Similarly, effective communication of reproductive health messages is essential for addressing serious health threats like HIV/AIDS. Though the Kenyan government and aid organizations have begun to better serve the Deaf, most of Kenya's Deaf have not received proper reproductive health education and are generally unfamiliar or uncomfortable with a health system designed for the hearing. At the same time, there is wide-spread misunderstanding among the hearing about the Deaf, who are often thought to have lower intelligence.
These conditions have created dangerous situations when the Deaf seek medical attention. During our service in Kenya we met many Deaf people who explained their difficulty seeking medical help. Basic information about what is ailing the person, how to take medication and what the results of a test means often elude a Deaf Kenyan because of the language barrier. It is this language barrier that must be confronted to better-serve the Deaf.”
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