SIGN LANGUAGE CLUB
Brief Background
At St Paul’s Kinyamasika this club is also called “Friends of the Deaf” since all their activities are geared to being friends to those who are deaf. In supplement to the commendable work being done by the Uganda National Association for the Deaf (UNAD), this club was formed at St Paul’s to aid those who are needy specifically the deaf since they are all people of God who have the same dignity like any of us and must be peached to. The desire to start this club emerged from students’ experiences in their different areas of apostolate (pastoral work) as they could not communicate to the deaf persons they met. Seminarians could share this challenge of not being able to communicate to them (deaf) and wished if there could be a chance of learning sign language hence the starting of this club.
GOALS OF SIGN LANGUAGE CLUB
- Equip the future pastors with communication skills to the deaf who actually need the same pastoral care like those without any hearing impairment. Hence to bridge the gap between those people with hearing impairment and those without in our today Church.
- To enable students as future pastors and the present pastors be able to communicate using sign language as a mode of communication with ease.
- To bring awareness to the community that, there exist people among us with hearing and talking impediments whom we should not isolate.
ACTIVITIES
- Members meet weekly to conduct lessons.
- Members occasionally present plays and songs in sign language to the community when circumstances favor.
- Seminarians go out in the nearby schools and institutions to meet pupils and students with hearing and talking impairments for catechesis and socializing purposes. By so doing the Gospel is taken to all.