The students with hearing impairments from the special schools of Moldova do not study sign language. The teachers explain to these children not in sign language, but verbally. Therefore, these students do not have full access to information and education, said the first vice president of the Association of the Deaf of Moldova Natalia Babici. Contacted by IPN, Natalia Babici said that the children with such impairments often invent own language so as to be able to communicate between them.
According to Natalia Babici, there is a myth in Moldovan society according to which the persons suffering from hearing impairments are illiterate. In fact, the rather poor training level of these children is due to the way in which they are taught. The teachers often give classes showing images from books and writing on the blackboard, without using sign language.
The Association’s first vice president also said that some of these children can read the lips, but not all those who are hearing-impaired know this communication technique. Moreover, not everyone’s lips can be read. If the person can read the lips, this can concentrate the eyes for at most an hour to read the facial gestures of a speaker.
Natalia Babici considers that for the students of these institutions to be able to fully benefit from the right to education, the Ministry of Education should prepare sign language interpreters and at least two hours a week at these schools should be devoted to studying sign language.
In Moldova, there are two nursery schools, three secondary schools and a vocational school intended for children with hearing impairments.
