The Phoenix Deaf Club is changing lives

THE Phoenix Deaf Club, which was formed to assist deaf people with employment, starting their own home industries, and assisting with barriers in communication, has been growing rapidly, with about 40 members in just five months.

- YOSHINI PERUMAL

Members said they had “found light at the end of a long tunnel” after joining, and that the club had given them a voice and hope for a brighter future.

Yogavelli Shanmugam, 43, of Stonebridge, was elected president of the club. She was born deaf and described her life as being at a standstill because of her disability.

“There have been so many barriers and it was impossible for us to generate an income. Unemployment was our main issue. People think that because we are deaf, we cannot do anything. But the truth is, we can do everything an able person can do. The only thing we cannot do is hear.

“Being sidelined for jobs was depressing. Some of us have spent our entire lives unemployed. The life of a deaf person is difficult because of communication barriers. Even though sign language has been recognised as an official language, not enough is being done in the employment sector to include us. The club has allowed us to generate an income with the help of the founder, Keven Govender, who has dedicated his life to making sure that things change for us, and we are included,” she said.

The men, who have been trained in plumbing, tiling, painting and have other skills, like gardening, have been recruited for jobs since they began promoting themselves as a club on social media, she said.

The women have offered services like sewing, babysitting, and taking care of the elderly to generate an income.

Allan Naidoo, 59, the club’s treasurer, and Daya Naidoo, 48, the secretary, have been friends from the time Daya was a year old.

They both can drive and called for sign language interpreters in government facilities after they had difficulties at the licensing office.

Daya said when he went to renew his licence, he had carried cash and did not know that they only accepted cards.