Sign language in Tunisia: Expanding training, employment and access to services

The Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (Cawtar) has called for a national dialogue on sign language in Tunisia. The aim is to coordinate initiatives, expand its use and improve access to services and public life for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

The recommendation appears in a policy paper produced with the Tunisian Voice of the Deaf association to mark the International Day of Sign Languages, according to the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) news agency.

A national dialogue to coordinate efforts

The paper advocates a dialogue bringing together the relevant ministries and public institutions, civil society organisations, the media and people with hearing disabilities.

Its authors propose establishing a national working group to draw up a clear public policy and develop a strategy to promote sign language and expand its use. They also recommend conferences, workshops and awareness campaigns involving the various stakeholders.

The initiative aims to strengthen recognition of the role sign language plays in the inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing people and their participation in community life.

Strengthening university training

The document calls for support for the undergraduate sign language programme at the Higher Institute of Human Sciences of Tunis, part of the University of Tunis El Manar.

Proposed measures include strengthening the teaching team, expanding international cooperation and providing financial incentives for lecturers and trainers, particularly those with hearing disabilities.

The paper also recommends modernising teaching tools and methods and producing specialised dictionaries in partnership with civil society. It further proposes a training and accreditation pathway for sign language mediators to help improve access to services.

Extending training to professionals

The authors want sign language learning programmes to reach professionals who work directly with the public, including doctors, lawyers and service providers supporting women and girls who have experienced violence.

They also recommend incorporating sign language into all levels of the education system. The aim is to expand opportunities for everyday communication beyond university settings.

Around 300 graduates since the programme began

According to the paper, the sign language degree programme, introduced at Tunisian universities in 2003, had trained only around 300 graduates by the time the document was written.

A number of these graduates face limited career prospects. Some choose to emigrate or change careers, the same source reports.

To broaden their employment prospects, the authors recommend diversifying job opportunities, aligning training with labour market needs and strengthening partnerships with businesses and organisations.

The document also puts the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Tunisia at between 18,000 and 30,000, based on civil society estimates. This range is therefore not an official count.

Improving access to services and tackling exclusion

The paper stresses the need to enable people with hearing disabilities to access administrative, healthcare and judicial services independently. It also encourages wider use of sign language in the media and cultural activities.

Women and girls with hearing disabilities face additional challenges, the document notes, highlighting the risks of gender-based violence and barriers to care and guidance services.

The authors argue that implementing the recommendations would help put Tunisia’s constitutional and international commitments on the rights of persons with disabilities into practice.

A paper marking the international day

Entitled “Sign language: A bridge to ending exclusion”, the paper forms part of the “Making the invisible visible” project. The text relayed by TAP mentions support from a United Nations development fund without identifying it more precisely.

The International Day of Sign Languages is observed every 23 September. Proclaimed by the United Nations in 2017, it was first celebrated in 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf, which was first held in 1958.

Source: TAP

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