Deaf cultures and Sign Languages of the world: Uganda (Uganda)

Created 10 April 2000, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

Ugandan flag David Bar-TzurUgandan flag

map of Uganda

Flag: World flag database.
Map: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.

For a quick, interesting resource for facts about this and other countries,
try Mystic Planet - The New Age directory of Planet Earth.

Note: Flag next to a link shows what language the website is in. This is sometimes obvious by what country the link is for or the fact that the title is in English. If I feel it may be ambiguous, I have tried to clarify by using a flag. This is done so that people can read sites in the language of their choice.

Books on deafness Deaf advocacy and politics Deafblind Deaf education Deaf health
Deaf history and current events Deaf performing arts Organizations Periodicals Religion & Deafness
Uganda Sign Language Uganda Sign Language dictionaries

Books on deafness

Cassingham, R. Sign language: basic vocabulary. Kampala : Uganda National Institute of Special Education.

National Head Start Association. (1990). Head Start: The nation's pride, a nation's challenge. Report of the Silver Ribbon Panel. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Nyst, V. (1999). Variation in handshape in Uganda Sign Language. (Diploma thesis). Leyden, The Netherlands: Leyden University.

Nyst, V. & Baker, A. (2003). The phonology of name signs: a comparison between the Sign Languages of Uganda, Mali, Adamorobe and The Netherlands. In: Baker, Ann / Bogaerde, Beppie van den / Crasborn, Onno (eds). Cross-linguistic perspectives in sign language research. Selected papers from TISLR 2000. Hamburg: Signum, pp. 71-80.

Uganda National Association of the Deaf. (1998). Manual of Ugandan signs. Revised ed. Kampala, Uganda.

Wallin, L., Lule, D., Lutalo, S. & Busingye, B. (2006). Uganda Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language Project, Faculty of Special Needs Education, Kyambogo University, Kampala.

World Deaf directory - Uganda.

Deaf advocacy and politics

DeafTODAY.

Matsamura, E. K. RIGHTS-UGANDA: Deaf people speak out against marginalisation.

Deafblind

Deaf culture

Kameo, E. (2004, August 5). Silent beauty. Aidat is no ordinary beauty contestant. She is the first disabled girl to take part in the Miss Uganda contest. Deaf and dumb, Aidat still managed to beat other contestants to make it among the 22 finalists who will take to the catwalk this Saturday to contest for the Miss Uganda 2004 crown.

Deaf education

Contents. Scroll down to "ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS AND UNITS OF THE DEAF IN UGANDA."

DeafTODAY.

I-DEAF recipient has ambitious plans. The first recipient of the International Deaf Education and Advancement Fund scholarship at Gallaudet, Maurice Ssenyonga, intends to establish training programs in the deaf community and lobby for deaf people to become skilled in farming and in various trades.

International Deaf Children's Society - Rhythm of Hand. Scroll down to "Rhythm of Hands (Uganda, 2001)."

Kisoro School for Deaf Children. The project aims to provide deaf children in Kisoro with a full two years of primary education. Fifteen children initially benefited in the first year, but there are now two classes with two teachers per class. The running of the school is overseen by an independant management committee.

Maurice Ssenyonga letter (March 13, 1996). The first recipient of the International Deaf Education and Advancement Fund scholarship at Gallaudet.

Mittler, P. International experience in including children with disabilities in ordinary schools. This paper was originally prepared for a meeting organised by UNICEF to stimulate discussion on the possibilities of inclusion in Tunisia. It was written in response to a request to provide examples of countries where inclusive policies were being implemented. Most of the examples refer to countries in the Middle East or North Africa or to other French or Arabic speaking countries.

Ndeezi, A.

Report from Kisoro [School for the Deaf].

Shettle, A. (2004, Spring). Deaf Children with Additional Disabilities in Developing Countries, Uganda.

Deaf health

DeafTODAY.

Deaf history and current events

DeafTODAY.

IDCS. (2004, July 6). Links between Uganda National Association of the Deaf and the Rwanda National Association of the Deaf. This was an ad hoc project, which UNAD undertook on its own initiative following a request for support from the deaf people of Rwanda. Three members of the Ugandan Association of the Deaf visited Kigali in 1998 to visit the deaf survivors of one the worst and most barbaric massacres ever to befall an African country.

Miles, M. (2005). Deaf people living and communication in African histories, c. 960s - 1960s. There is strong documentary evidence that deaf or hearing impaired men and women, girls and boys, did occupy social space and took roles across the full spectrum of life throughout Africa in earlier centuries, living lives like everyone else and also having some different experiences. Traces and signs of deaf people appear in many sorts of historical document, such as travellers' accounts, legal and genealogical records, government, institutional and missionary archives, linguistic studies, literature, folklore, religious narrative, mime, dance and drama. Many of their experiences have involved severe economic poverty and adversity, stigmatising attitudes and exclusionary practices; yet this has not been the norm everywhere in Africa, and many deaf people have shown great resilience, perseverance, humour and ingenuity in their dealings and communications with the non-deaf world.

Mutabazi, P.

Mr Francis Oranit.

Sutton, V. (2000, August 21). Project manager of a Sign Language dictionary project in Uganda.

UK Uganda Network. Uganda 200. Scroll down to "The 'Pallisa' Project 14th to 20th August 2000, Report by Tony Fulford - 'Pallisa' team leader." The Kavule School for Deaf Children at Iki-Iki, also to the south east of Pallisa, was in need of a safe water supply. Their source of water was a well which was in a deplorable condition, being very dilapidated and dangerous. Marie had raised money to have the well made safe and to install a hand pump. The children at this school also needed clothing and bedding.

UNAD - News.

Yeo, R. (14 June 1999). A community-based Sign Language programme in Uganda. Action on Disability and Development (ADD) works with groups and organisations of disabled people in 13 countries in Africa and Asia to help build their capacity to campaign effectively for inclusion in society. The Deaf Development Programme in Lira, Northern Uganda, is the only programme supported by ADD which is exclusively for Deaf people. It was started three years ago by Gloria Pullen, a Deaf staff member from the Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of Bristol, together with Ugandan colleagues. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world where Sign Language has been written into the constitution. There is also political representation at all levels of government. Currently there are 46,000 places for disabled people, both male and female. There are five disabled people in parliament, one of whom is Deaf.

Deaf performing arts

The Deaf take Magic Seeds play to National theatre.

Organizations

Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD)'s mission is to advocate for the equalisation of opportunities and for the rights of the deaf people in all fields of life;: basic higher education, employment, health and social economic welfare. In doing so, UNAD tries to ensure that services developed or to be developed are relevant to the needs of deaf people in Uganda.

Periodicals

Moustgaard, Raija: Towards strong Ugandan Deaf Association. In: WFD News 7: 1 (1994) - pp. 17-18

Thompson, Simon: Uganda project - deaf culture and language in Uganda. In: Signpost 5: 2 (1992) - pp. 93-96.

Religion & Deafness

DeafTODAY. (2003, December 10). Deaf ordained priest. The Church of Uganda has got its first deaf priest. The Rev. David Bulime, 38, of the Immanuel Church of the Deaf, Namirembe, took his vow to priesthood on Sunday at St. Paul's Cathedral, Namirembe... Bulime swore in speech and later repeated the commitment by sign language while his wife, Rose Bulime, interpreted to the congregation.

Uganda Sign Language

-->International bibliography of sign language. --> Click on "U", then on "Uganda Sign Language".

Nyst, V., & Baker, A. (2003). The phonology of name signs: A comparison between the Sign Languages of Uganda, Mali, Adamorobe and the Netherlands (pp. 71-80). In A. Baker, Bogaerde, B. van den and O. Crasborn (Eds.), Cross-linguistic perspectives in sign language research. Selected papers from TISLR 2000. Hamburg: Signum.

Ugandan Sign Language: A language of Uganda.

Waiswa, J. (2006, June 13). Uganda: The brain behind the Ugandan dictionary for the deaf.

Wikipedia. Legal recognition of sign languages - Uganda. On October 8, 1995, Uganda's national sign language was recognised in the country's new constitution, making Uganda Sign Language one of the few constitutionally recognised sign languages in the world (WFD News, April 1996). A Deaf signer (27-year-old Alex Ndeezi) was elected to parliament in 1996.

Uganda Sign Language dictionaries

Cassingham, R. Sign language: basic vocabulary. Kampala : Uganda National Institute of Special Education.

Uganda National Association of the Deaf. (1998). Manual of Ugandan signs. Revised ed. Kampala, Uganda.

Wallin, L., Lule, D., Lutalo, S. & Busingye, B. (2006). Uganda Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language Project, Faculty of Special Needs Education, Kyambogo University, Kampala.

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