March 24, 2011 Addis Ababa: Individuals with hearing impairment received training of trainer (TOT) to build their facilitating skills on HIV prevention. They will train 200 individuals from the Association of the Deaf.
The three-day training was given to 10 individuals; two of them are professional interpreters in sign language. As part of the training, they received training on how to protect themselves from HIV infection and were also provided with information on the various services available in the country.
“I found communication with a counselor really hard last time I went for HIV Testing. We (the counselor and I) had to communicate in writing and it made it impossible for me to receive counseling,” said Tizita, one of the participants sharing her experience and recalling how hard and frustrating experience it was for her. She further said, “Receiving this training means a lot to me. I feel empowered to play a role in the education of people in similar situation as myself to overcome difficulties and protect ourselves from HIV.”
Participants discussed the reasons for the vulnerability of people with disability specially the deaf. They pointed out that mostly it is due to lack of information, inaccessibility of services and unavailability of people with sign language in health centers and hospitals. The participants also said all the various communication mediums do not address their communication needs.
The training addressed topics such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS, VCT, PMTCT, misconceptions about HIV and AIDS, impact of HIV/AIDS, ART and positive living.
The AIDS Resource Center conducted the training in collaboration with the Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf.
