Disability is not Inability

:: Demand for Deaf sensitive services increases.
5th December 2006

The Deaf VCT is one of the most unique counselling and testing programme actually in the World. In 2003 the first batch of deaf kenyans were trained by the Liverpool VCT with funding from the CDC.This lead to the establishment odf the Nairobi Deaf VCT. Three years down the road the programme has expanded to three VCT sites providing counselling in sign language and testing within standard quality as per the national guidelines for Voluntary Counselling and Testing.

The deaf in Kenya is one of the most well served in relation to HIV services in the last few years. compared to other disabilities, the deaf in kenya have the best disability friendly efforts to mitigate HIV/AIDS. One of the major hurdles this projects have faced is the quality of training if we are using kenya sign language.

Establishing a VCT among the deaf face the twin issues of confidentiality and quality service within the use of kenya sign language. the level of service delivery should be directly the same as those of the general population. to achive this the issue of ensureing that any adjustments do not in themselves reduce or complicate the issue of service qualitity is quite relevant.

Adjustments need not compromise quality.

To achieve the above two objectives in establishing a deaf VCT various adjustments are necessary to ensure equity of standards. The prime issue is the adaptation of the Training guidelines to suit deaf training. The methods of training, the quality of trainers, the quality of sign language interpreters, the issue of following the basic benchmarks like educational standards of the candidates, the curriculum adoptation issues are all important in ensuring this quality is not compromised. This is because the fact that we are deaf does not mean that we should be sacrificed on the alter of seeking funding.

VCT counsellors Maina, Susan, Moses and Interpreter Counselor Leah.

Training visit for 2nd Lot of Deaf VCT Counselors who opened the kisumu and mombasa Deaf VCT: including current Deaf Programme Coordinator Washington Sati. others: Martin, Miriam, Nancy, Elizabeth, David, Tsuma and Lilian

The First Deaf VCT Staff and the second training during their visit to KNDAEP offices.

To achieve this a for the initial Deaf VCT participation in not only selection of candidates but also training and evalutaion after training. This means that haveing gone through this process in 2002-4 certain standards were set that define quality of service to the deaf community. Such standards are critical for any new entrants into the training arean especially for this community. Such standrds it is expected are supposed to be enforced by a regulator which in this case is the Ministry of Health under the National AIDs and STD Control Programme (NASCOP).


However issues arising in the last few month show a different approach to the issue that is not only bringing confusion but also hard-ball competition quite unneccessary in this case. I say quite neccessary because the area of anti-retrovial Treatment among the deaf has major challenges that demand attention.

The effective enforcement of the issues are integral to maintaining quality service provision. It is important to be aware that any place a deaf client will enter s/he will be treated with the same standard are kept.

:: Increased competition.

:: Improve the Quality Control & regulatory framework

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