Deaf children need language, connection and the chance to thrive

Deaf Awareness Month is being used to highlight South Africa’s Deaf community, celebrate Deaf culture and South African Sign Language (SASL), while drawing attention to the importance of early communication for children with hearing loss.

This year’s theme, “Love and Trust,” highlights the importance of building strong connections with children from an early age, regardless of how they hear the world.

Hold My Hand says every child should have early access to language, communication and meaningful connection.

The organisation says an estimated 17 babies are born with permanent hearing loss in South Africa every day, amounting to more than 6,000 babies each year.

The National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children, approved by Cabinet and released by the Department of Social Development, identifies newborn hearing screening as an important intervention and calls for early identification, timely intervention and support for caregivers.

Early identification can help families make decisions about communication and language, whether that means South African Sign Language, spoken language or both.

However, newborn hearing screening is still not universally available in South Africa, meaning some children may only be identified as having hearing loss years after birth.

Hold My Hand says Deaf children should not be defined by what they cannot hear. Deaf communities have their own languages, cultures and identities, and Deaf people contribute across all areas of South African society.

The organisation says giving children access to a rich and natural language as early as possible is about ensuring they have the foundation to communicate, learn, build relationships and express themselves.

Hold My Hand Strategy Lead Dr Noxolo Gqada encouraged South Africans to use Deaf Awareness Month to learn more about Deaf culture and SASL while supporting greater inclusion.

“We hope everyone can use this month to learn more about what it means to be Deaf, celebrate Deaf culture and South African Sign Language and back the full inclusion of Deaf people in South African life,” Gqada said.

She also urged parents and caregivers to learn more about hearing screening.

“Bonding does not depend on how they hear, it depends on how you communicate,” she said.

Gqada added that healthcare workers, communities and government all have a role to play in ensuring children with hearing loss receive early access to language, communication and the support they need.

Meanwhile, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness and Hold My Hand have partnered on a new programme called Little Ears, which aims to strengthen early hearing detection.

The department says objective hearing screening is the most reliable way to identify hearing loss early.

Little Ears is being introduced as a universal newborn hearing screening programme, with an initial rollout planned for George, Oudtshoorn and the Khayelitsha sub-district later in 2026, before expanding across the respective sites early next year.

The initiative forms part of efforts to strengthen early intervention during the first 1,000 days of a child's life.

The message from Hold My Hand is clear: early access to language is not about changing a Deaf child. It is about ensuring they have the opportunity to communicate, participate and thrive on their own terms.