Deaf Empowerment Abroad Foundation

till, they are eager to work toward a community that provides language development, education, employment and empowerment! The key to success is....ACCESS TO COMMUNICATION!! In 2014, the Jamaica Disability Act was successfully passed, making it a milestone accomplishment for the Deaf community island wide. However, the law is rarely enforced due to lack of knowledge or understanding the importance for language accessibility. Unfortunately, sign language is not a requirement to be employed as a Deaf educator in Jamaica. The island has 14 Deaf schools staffed only by hearing teachers that may or may not know basic JSL or ASL. They are in desperate need of Interpreters fluent in JSL/ASL, as well as fluent language users to bridge the gap between education and communication.Although the need for Professional Interpreters is great, the job opportunities and funding is VERY limited , as is common in most developing countries .