Advocate pushes for Jamaican Sign Language to gain official status
Published:Saturday | September 28, 2024 | 12:09 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Andre Witter, CEO of Ready to Sign, is calling for Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) to be officially recognised as a national language, following significant progress in its use over the past two decades.
Speaking with The Gleaner at the launch of the Sign Clubs of Jamaica, a network of sign language clubs across Jamaican schools, held at Campion College in St Andrew yesterday, Witter emphasised the need for a more comprehensive development of JSL resources.
JSL is defined as the natural language of Jamaica’s deaf community, marked by unique hand movements, body language, and facial expressions.
Through interpreter Michalia ‘Mandy’ Cowan, Witter, who was born to deaf parents and is also deaf, highlighted the importance of enabling deaf Jamaicans to communicate more authentically within their communities.
Ready to Sign, which offers JSL classes, is actively collecting data through initiatives such as filming deaf competitions and hiring interpreters for events. These recordings are used as educational material to improve the learning of JSL.
In addition, the organisation is conducting research with the support of the ICAN project, a two-year initiative funded by the United Kingdom, aimed at further developing JSL.
By the end of this month, Witter plans to release a JSL manual for students in his classes. He explained that many Jamaicans, both learners and deaf individuals, often struggle with differentiating between how things are signed in JSL and how they are expressed in English.
“Many people think it’s fine to sign in English, but JSL has its own structure, rules, and grammar. In fact, the structure of JSL is more similar to Spanish,” Witter explained to The Gleaner.
“For example, in English, we say ‘red apple’, but in JSL, we sign it as ‘apple red’ because it’s a visual language.”
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While acknowledging that some people choose to learn American Sign Language (ASL), Witter is urging Jamaicans to invest in the development of their own sign language system.
He shared that interest in JSL has grown significantly compared to 20 years ago. However, he stressed that more resources need to be developed so people can learn independently, and that JSL should be recognised as an official language.
“When JSL becomes official, it can be taught in schools as a subject, not just as part of a club. This would create more job opportunities for deaf Jamaicans, who could provide JSL services both locally and internationally, and teach others how to sign,” Witter noted.
He questioned why JSL is currently only taught in private schools and not government schools, stating, “If we don’t get JSL recognised as an official language, we will be stuck in the same cycle.”
Witter remains optimistic that once JSL gains official status, progress in teaching, job creation, and resource development will follow naturally.