Nigerian church makes deaf people feel welcome

DW reports from a deaf community church in Nigeria. It offers people inclusive services — a stark contrast to much of the rest of their lives.

Transcript

00:00this is a deaf choir they are singing a song in one of the few deaf churches in Nigeria this is

00:10not a typical church service but one delivered in sign language even the hymns from the choir here

00:18at the christian mission for the deaf church it's a place for worship where faith meets inclusivity

00:24yewande odutiyo attends the church regularly and has been part of deaf churches like these for 27

00:31years her signing was interpreted for us by a fellow church member said honestly this church means a lot

00:41to me as a deaf person truly to worship in a deaf church is filled with pleasure and peace

00:54and we benefit a lot from god's words even if i go to an outsider's church

01:03because she's always looking around she does not understand no interpreter

01:08nothing she's always looking around that sense of isolation or social rejection can be even worse

01:14out in public but there are some people that if they see people like us they do run away from us

01:23they don't treat us like we are human beings like them esther ogeding me who interpreted for us is not

01:31deaf herself but both her parents are she is a coder child of deaf adults she's fluent in sign language

01:39and often serves as an interpreter between the hearing and the deaf communities when i'm in the

01:46deaf community and i get to interact with them there is this joy on their faces like there is this joy

01:53like when you talk to them you smile with them they feel yeah this person really understands me like

02:00they are always happy and yet days like these where there is a signer cannot be taken for granted

02:07one of the church leaders tells us we are short of interpreters that is the challenges we face

02:22and if we should look for another interpreter which are not colder which are not our children

02:28if we use them they are always demanding for high price and we can't afford to pay that the vast majority

02:36of people in nigeria don't know sign language and interest in learning it is limited advocates

02:42like treasures uchegu call for more awareness of the deaf community and sign language especially

02:49within the regular school system it sits at the table for every young deaf person that that young

02:56deaf person i have a seat at the table with every other person so including sign language into our school

03:04curriculum as at a policy level ensuring interest is developed early enough and provide young people

03:14with the skills like we have clubs in schools last year disability stakeholders called for the adoption

03:20of sign language as a second official language in the country to improve inclusion that's unlikely to

03:26to happen but churches like this provide a sanctuary for members of the deaf community

03:39you