Baby hand in an ‘I love you’ sign. Photo: ShutterstockBaby hand in an ‘I love you’ sign. Photo: Shutterstock

Dorianne Callus was born profoundly deaf. Her parents realised this when she was eight months old. But she is bilingual and can communicate by speaking or by signing.

Her speech is not always clear; she mispronounces some words since she cannot hear them. And she can only speech-read from speakers’ lips and body language.

The lives of an estimated 200 deaf people in Malta have improved substantially as a result of technology and the introduction of a number of services over the years, mainly sign language interpreting, which started in 2000.

Another 200 deaf people, however, have not learnt sign language.

Callus, who is an active member of the Deaf Association, says that education of deaf children in Malta is still poor.

“Many of them are not being exposed to sign language and practically all the teachers supporting these children are not professionally trained in this area.”

With the support of her parents and a teacher of the deaf who used to visit her twice a week, she has always attended mainstream schools and been able to live as normally as possible.

But even with a good standard of education, she has always faced limitations in her studies and career – mostly because there were no sign language interpreters in her time.

“It was very difficult for me to catch up with other children at school, and although I can speech-read very well, it is still hard to understand in a class or group,” says Callus, who works in a bank, teaches Maltese Sign Language and interprets the news on television. She’s married to a deaf husband and has two boys with no speech or hearing impediment.

Prof. Marie Alexander, a linguist and researcher currently working on the online Maltese Sign Language Dictionary, explains that “without Maltese Sign Language interpreters, deaf people have no full access to what is spoken”.

However, there are too few sign language interpreters locally to cater for the increasing number of deaf people asking for the service. Aġenzija Sapport employs five, while another three work as freelancers. In 2000 there was only one sign language interpreter.

Research has shown that the development of sign language in Malta dates back to the 1950s, when education of the deaf started. In those days, deaf children developed home signs with their parents to enable to communicate on a daily basis.

“Today, Maltese Sign Language continues to develop as it is being used in many more contexts, particularly in educational settings,” says Prof. Alexander, who had hoped to launch the dictionary on this special day but is still in the process of inputting data into the programme written for the purpose.

Some parents do not give their deaf children the opportunity to learn sign language, fearing this would hinder their speech

She is also coordinating the new Postgraduate Diploma for Maltese Sign Language Interpreting, which starts at the University of Malta in October.

“Unfortunately, this course will not train a sufficient number of interpreters, but it will be a good start now that Maltese Sign Language has been officially recognised by law,” she says. 

The Maltese and English versions of the dictionary, as well as the sign-written form, will be accessible to all deaf children, those studying Maltese Sign Language, as well as educators, researchers and the public.

“There are various kinds of sign language dictionaries. Until a few years ago, these were only available on paper. The online Maltese Sign Language will have video clips, photos to show the different stages of a sign and a short description of how the sign is made and used,” Prof. Alexander says.

“Unfortunately, whereas most researchers overseas have a good number of paid researchers, both deaf and hearing, working on the dictionary, there are few researchers locally since the grants have been rather small and have not sustained such research on a full-time basis. However, the deaf community has always been very willing to contribute time and effort. They have formed an integral part of the dictionary team.”

Annabelle Xerri, who chairs the Maltese Sign Language Council, became deaf when she was six, so her spoken language was her first language. When she became deaf, she taught herself to lip-read.

“I had a lot of support from my family, friends, educators and the Gozo Association for the Deaf. My love for books also helped my speaking and writing skills in both Maltese and English. My only regret is that I did not learn sign language when I was younger,” says Xerri, who started to learn sign language five years ago.

The council’s mission is to raise awareness about the benefits of learning sign language and to encourage more deaf people to use it.

“Day-to-day life may be more challenging than that of hearing people, but I don’t see it that way. Apart from being a deaf person, I am also a daughter, sister, cousin, friend, wife and mother,” Xerri says.

“I am always very busy and I do my best to juggle my different roles. My experiences and the people I have met made me the person I am today and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am still learning a great deal, especially thanks to sign language.”

With access to sign language interpreting, Xerri says deaf people have come a long way.

“Many years ago, we were not allowed to communicate using sign language and were forced to only speak because hearing people thought that if deaf people signed, they wouldn’t learn how to speak.

“This misconception lingers on today and, although no force is used, wrong decisions are taken. Some parents do not give their deaf children the opportunity to learn sign language, fearing this would hinder their speech.

“Medical professionals are partly to blame, as some give wrong information to parents. It is important for parents to know that no matter how much a deaf child learns to speak, the child still cannot hear. Sign language should be accessible to deaf children from birth.”

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