Forum urges more academic freedom, support for deaf students in Kuwait

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti advocate is calling for integrating sign language into all stages of education — treating it like any second language — to help drive societal development and progress. Speaking at the Fifth Kuwaiti Deaf Day Forum, held under the slogan “The Deaf’s Voice… and Kuwait’s Vision 2035,” Kawthar Al-Jouan, Head of the Women’s Institute for Development and Peace, urged authorities to allow deaf students to freely choose their academic majors and fields of study at Kuwait University and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), without restrictions. She stressed the need for equal access to scholarships abroad and medical treatment missions when services are not available locally.

“We are committed to supporting this vital group, who possess full legal capacity just like the rest of us. They may have lost one form of expression, but they have not lost the language of challenge, achievement, and contribution,” she said, emphasizing her belief that the hearing-impaired and other groups form a beautiful, united fabric of Kuwaiti society.

The forum — organized by the Women’s Institute for Development and Peace at the Arab Center for Educational Research for the Gulf States — tackled four key themes: education, legal rights, health, and social integration. Minister of Education Jalal Al-Tabtabaei said the ministry has made “steady and determined progress” on development projects that strengthen the inclusion of hearing-impaired individuals in society and reaffirmed Kuwait’s commitment to meeting its international obligations, particularly under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Kawthar Al-Jouan

Dr Abdullah Al-Shuraika

Minister Al-Tabtabaei also noted that Kuwait’s support for the hearing-impaired dates back to the establishment of the first specialized school — Amal Schools — in the 1959–1960 academic year. Dr Abdullah Al-Shuraika, Director of the Center for Moderation at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, praised the forum as a reflection of Kuwait’s humanitarian values and respect for human rights. He commended the Minister of Education’s participation and emphasized the importance of further reform and development in the education sector to better serve the deaf community.

Al-Jouan has previously highlighted the inability of deaf students to select their preferred majors and the persistent lack of qualified sign language interpreters at Kuwait University and PAAET as major challenges. The shortage of sign language interpreters at public institutions has been extensively documented by the media. Advocates have long urged for improved services for the deaf community, highlighting persistent gaps in support. Numerous reports have detailed the challenges deaf students face — particularly the lack of interpreters — which severely hinders their ability to communicate with faculty, understand course material, and fully participate in academic life.

In its efforts to improve services for the deaf, Kuwait University has a Special Needs Department under the Deanship of Student Affairs, which provides highly qualified sign language interpreters. The university has also published awareness videos in sign language on its social media accounts, and provided periodic training courses for students and faculty. In 2022, a specialized committee was established to work toward integrating sign language into the curriculum, although no public updates have been issued since. — Agencies