Deaf in Nigeria: A Preliminary Survey of Isolated Deaf Communities

Abstract

Deaf stigmatization in Nigeria begins from the families to the kindred and communities and is more intense in the early days of the deaf child. Using a multidisciplinary approach aimed at collecting different forms of data in Nigerian deaf communities, we focused on cultural practices, linguistic features, and the cause of hearing loss in some of the undocumented deaf communities. Findings from the ongoing research indicate that up to 75% of the deaf children and young adults within our study areas were not genetically born deaf. Different health complications, poverty, and ignorance contributed to childhood deafness. We also identified specific cultural traits of deaf students in Abuja and Imo-late start to school because of nonexistence of early intervention program. Finally, the signed language used by the students in Abuja and Imo had differences and similarities with American Sign Language (ASL) and Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL). The similarities between ASL, GSL, and the school signs are through the impact of ASL on the linguistic structures of most African signed languages and the differences is caused by geographical locations and specific cultural and educational information. Based on the data, we suggest that a more detailed approach to early childhood hearing screening and intervention programs is necessary to mitigate the impact of deafness in Nigeria. We recommend that a study of the school signs and culture of Nigerian deaf communities will provide accurate data for signed language documentation and future linguistic research, cultural and health interventions within deaf communities in Nigeria.

Inclusive planning: African policy inventory and South African mobility case study on the exclusion of persons with disabilities

“…However, research indicates that people with HI "appear to be the most vulnerable group in Nigeria and many other African countries" [17,22]. Asonye et al [3] found that children with HI are isolated from the public. According to the SANHTS [42], 0.5 million people in South Africa have HI.…”

“…It should be noted that no contact was made with stakeholders in the various countries 3. At the time this paper was written, the raw data for 2019 were not available to third parties.…”

Lumping and splitting: Sign language delineation and ideologies of linguistic differentiation

“…In her discussion of ‘ASL‐based’ and ‘ASL‐influenced’ sign languages, Kusters, 2021 notes how some Nigerian scholars foreground the influence of forms of ASL, referring to Nigerian‐American Sign Language, while Asonye et al. (2018) seek to resist this kind of affiliation with ASL. Documentation of signed languages in the Pacific region, such as those used in urban centres in Papua New Guinea and in Fiji, is also providing evidence of the influence of Auslan and Australasian Signed English on these varieties.…”

Comparison of Perceptual Reasoning Skills and Mental Health Problems between Deaf and Normal-Hearing Adolescents in a Semi-inclusive setting in Ibadan, Nigeria

“…26 The Nigerian deaf community has a means of communication known as the Nigerian Sign Language (NSL), that is indigenous and cultural to them, especially at the community and family levels. 27,28 The NSL has developed over the years and it has been described as a dialectal variation of the American Sign Language. 28 The NSL is still poorly documented and has limited research attention.…”