Deafness in Benin

As of June 28, 2022, neonatal deafness screening was initiated at the Mother and Child University Hospital Center Jeanne Ebori Foundation (CHUMEJE) through the help of the National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (CNAMGS). Under the leadership of Professor Simon Ategbo, this is part of the Health Department's launch of their assisted medical procreation (PMA).[6] The screening is done while the child is sleeping by placing some ash in their ear and collecting sound emissions (the term "ash" is most likely a translation error within the article, most of the time a transmitter device is placed in the ear, please see Otoacoustic emission).[6]

Currently, there is no available information on early interventions (i.e. cochlear implants, hearing aids, etc.). The only mention of interventions was through sponsorship programs like Amities Solidarite France Afrique.[7] ASFA helped provide a deaf student with hearing aids through a donation from "Ecouter Voir" in Ollioules.[7]

Andrew Foster was an African American missionary/pastor that is well regarded as the person who brought American Sign Language (ASL) to Africa.[8] He helped open schools for the deaf in several African countries as well as a training center for teaching of the deaf, known as Ibadan.[8] The first deaf teachers in Benin came from the training center in Ibadan where they taught ASL to their students.[8]

Over time, with ASL being taught and used alongside French, a new form of sign language took on the signs of ASL, but the grammar of French.[9] This led to the evolution of Langue des Signes de l'Afrique Francophone (LSAF) which is distinct and unrelated to French Sign Language.[9] LSAF has been considered a dialect of ASL, however recent discussion has led to LSAF to be considered its own language independent from ASL.[9]

This organization was noted by Carsten Mildner as being a deaf-led organization in Benin, however, no other documentation exists about the history or presence of this organization other than from the African Sign Languages Resource Center website or "Making Lives, Making Communities: Deaf Youth in Benin" by Carsten Mildner.[1][11]

The Universal Association of Works for the Development of the Deaf (ASUNOES) works to support the deaf community and defend their rights.[12] The Center for Reception, Education, and Integration of the Deaf (CAEIS) was founded by the ASUNOES as a place of education for the entire community.[12] The CAEIS applies an integrated method in order to ensure that both the deaf and hearing receive the same lessons.[12] The CAEIS offers a lot of different kinds of additional support to the deaf community.[12] The skills training workshops are used to deter literate deaf children from becoming homeless and provide them a way to receive training, certification, and even start their own business.[12] The CAEIS has a sports team that allows deaf children to participate.[12] Although this organization says it has college programs and deaf admittance, there is no further information on the college itself or the fields of study being taught.[12]

This is a French organization located in Fidjrossè-Kpota in Cotonou that started in June 2012 under the law of July 1, 1901 (the law is not further specified).[13] This organization was founded by deaf professionals that were former students of Benin's first deaf public school (the name is not specifically mentioned).[14] They created the Association for the Promotion of Employment for the Deaf (APES) due to the lack of work that was offered to deaf people in Benin.[14] In 2005, they created the Center for the Promotion of Deaf Initiatives in Benin (CPISB) with support from France, Canada, and the Agence de la Francophonie.[14] Part of this center was made into a school because of public interest in having a deaf school.[14] This center also offers vocational training in hairdressing, sewing, or painting.[13]

This organization was created in 2004 through the 1901 law (not specified) to help provide support to African students.[15] ASFA sponsors Beninese children in dire financial need to support their school studies and health through vaccines and other health coverage.[15] This organization helped provide support for a student at the Cotonou School for the deaf by providing him with a hearing aid.[16] ASFA is making plans to provide more support for this school as well.[16]

There are a number of primary and secondary schools that offer education for the deaf, although many of the schools below claim to be the only one.

Created in 1977 by Andrew Foster, École Béninoise pour Sourds (EBS) was the first school for the deaf in Benin until the 90's.[8] The school was originally part of the Center for Household Education in Gbéto-south in Cotonou.[8] The first set of students were taught by a career teacher and a deaf person that were trained at the training center in Ibadan.[8] Eventually, other deaf schools were created in Sènandé in Cotonou, Parakou, Bohicon and Porto-Novo.[8]

The CAEIS was founded by ASUNOES in the Louho school district in 1997.[17] Located in Porto Novo, the CAEIS was created with the focus on an integrated model off education.[17] In classrooms, spoken French and sign language are used in tandem and the student body is made of both deaf and hearing students.[17] There is no information on what type of sign language is taught and used here. The EIS is their primary school and the CSEB is their secondary school.[12]

CPISB was created in 2005 by the French organization Solidarité-Sourds-Bénin (SSB).[14] This school offers primary and secondary education.[13] The teachers are all trained deaf professionals that offer a bilingual education in French-LSAO (West African Sign Language).[13] This school also aims to help provide food to their students and provide students who live further away with accommodations to ensure they still receive an education.[13]

Higher education for DHH individuals in Benin is highly restricted due to the lack of DHH institutions and low admittance of DHH students into mainstream colleges and universities.[2] As mentioned in "Making Lives, Making communities," many of the students that are admitted to colleges in Benin are post-lingually deaf.[2] Many of the students don't need to rely on interpreting services and also come from a decent education backgrounds.[2] For students that are pre-lingually deaf or post-lingually deaf at a very early age, the education that they receive during their primary and secondary studies usually isn't as rigorous as education that is taught in mainstream schools, therefore preventing them from being at the level of admittance.[2]

Access to healthcare services in Sub-Saharan Africa is limited by the lack of communication between DHH individuals and their families.[18] According to Baratedi et al., the most pressing issue for accessing healthcare is the communication barrier.[19] DHH individuals are reliant on their families, however, many families are either overprotective, inattentive, or all around neglectful.[18] All of which increase the difficulty for accessing health care.[18] Communication between healthcare workers and deaf patients as well as a lack of health knowledge prevents better access to DHH people.[18] Oftentimes interpretation services are unavailable are expensive.[19] In addition, healthcare workers often lack knowledge on deafness.[18] Deaf people frequently face discrimination within clinical settings.[19] Deaf people are forced to wait long periods of time because hearing people are served first.[19] Deaf people have reported that healthcare workers rude to them or outright negligent which further discourages DHH individuals from accessing health services.[19]

There is a great lack of knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS and its spread within deaf populations globally.[18] Many DHH people are severely undereducated leading to a lack of health-related information, especially sexual and reproductive issues.[19] Very few countries in Africa are aware that it can affect deaf people.[18] People with disabilities are often neglected when it comes to HIV prevention, education, and access to testing and treatment.[18] Treatment, medication, and transportation costs are all struggles for many in the deaf community since many people are unemployed or have low paying jobs.[19] This burden is especially worse for individuals with HIV/AIDS.[19]