EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability (DRLLE) within the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR) in Malta, in collaboration with EPALE NSS Malta had the pleasure to host an exchange study visit with various representatives. Click here for more information about this exchange study visit on a previous EPALE Malta post. 

As part of the visit programme, EPALE NSS Malta and DRLLE had the pleasure of holding a meeting with Ms Annabelle Xerri, President of Deaf People Malta Association Malta and representative Chairperson of the Maltese Sign Language Council.

During this meeting, Ms Xerri talked about the essential work done by both organisations she works with and spoke about the challenges faced by deaf people, especially in the Maltese context.

The Deaf People Association (Malta) was founded in 1973 and represents almost 1500 D/deaf people in Malta. It makes part of the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) and the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).

The aims of the association are:

1. To ensure that deaf persons have equal opportunities to enable them to live an independent life of the highest possible quality;
2. To work with Maltese authorities in order to improve accessibility for the deaf as well as inclusion of deaf persons within the society. This is done by identifying and removing barriers so that deaf persons can have full participation in all areas of life;
3. To raise public awareness about the Deaf culture within the Maltese society;
4. To disseminate information on existing facilities available for deaf persons;
5. To promote the Maltese deaf community in local as well as international events and projects.

(Source: http://www.deafmalta.com/about-us.html)

In 2016, the Maltese Parliament approved Act XVII which declared Maltese Sign Language an official language of Malta. The Maltese Sign Language Council was founded in November of the same year, with 51% made up of deaf members.

The purposes of the Council are:

1. to advise the Minister in all matters related to sign language;
2. to support research related to sign language;
3. to support the development of sign language and motivate and enhance the recognition and expression of Maltese Sign Language;
4. to promote the dynamic development of such linguistic characteristics as identified by the Maltese Deaf community;
5. in consultation with the Deaf community, adopt a suitable linguistic policy backed by a strategic plan, and ensure that the same are put into practice and observed in all sectors of Maltese life;
6. to evaluate and co-ordinate the work done by associations and individuals, in Maltese Sign Language sector and to foster an atmosphere of co-operation through a consensual plan;
7. to seek to obtain financial resources locally and overseas in order to be able to strengthen its activities, especially such resources as are already accessible to local and international organisations for research purposes;
8. to co-operate with persons, bodies and organisations in the disability sector in order to increase and augment the recognition and appreciation of Maltese Sign Language and cultural activities for the further advancement of Maltese Sign Language;
9. to prescribe and establish regulations about the standards of competency that a person who is to act as an interpreter of Maltese Sign Language must attain and keep a register of recognised Maltese Sign Language Interpreters;
10. to undertake such other activities as may be assigned to it by the Minister.

(Source: http://www.deafmalta.com/maltese-sign-language-lsm.html)

During the session, Ms Xerri spoke about two distinct groups of deaf people:

‘D’eaf and ‘d’eaf people and the importance of Deaf Role Models in the early stages of a child’s life.

(Image courtesy of Ms Xerri, 2022)

In fact, a significant issue deaf children face is what is called language deprivation, when deaf children do not have access to sign language education. This has a significant negative impact on language acquisition in the critical years. Language acquisition is a human right. For more information about language deprivation, please watch this great video.

There are more than 70 million deaf people in the world. Only 2% of them having access to education in sign languages. Learning sign language has benefits for cognitive development and education. Deaf children who grow up without sign language will very likely suffer serious general educational setbacks throughout their lives.

Sign language Education should be seen as complementary not oppositional to other languages. In fact, it can even improve second and third language learning. Deaf children are best instructed in subjects through national sign language (eg LSM), along with the spoken or written form of the national language (e.g., Maltese and/ or English).

The way forward for Sign Language Education

Ms Xerri suggested the following important concepts:

• Society needs to focus on the ability rather than the disability.
• If deaf children prefer to express themselves in sign language, which is Deaf people’s natural language, so be it.
• If a deaf child learns the spoken language, sign language is still required to access information and education.
• It is not worth sacrificing a deaf child’s education, future, and quality of life by rejecting sign language.

On behalf of DRLLE, Lifelong Learning Malta and EPALE NSS Malta, we wish to thank both organisations for their collaboration with EPALE, and we aim to focus on the topics of Sign Language Education further in the coming months.