THE Department of Social Welfare and Japan’s overseas aid agency, JICA, have reached an understanding to cooperate in a project to enable the deaf to participate more effectively in society.

A record of discussion on the project was signed by U Sit Myaing, the director general of the department, under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and JICA’s resident representative, Ms Michiko Umezaki, on July 18.

“The overall goal of the project is to promote the participation of the deaf in the society in Yangon and Mandalay through strengthening the cooperation between the social welfare administrators and the deaf community to plan and implement activities jointly,” JICA said in a statement announcing the project.

The project will focus mainly on providing opportunities for the deaf to play a role in assessing the existing standardised sign language.

It also includes providing training in SSL teaching methods to staff from the department, deaf organisations and schools for the deaf in Yangon and Mandalay and promoting community awareness about the hearing impaired by conducting workshops for social workers, teachers and students at government schools and Myanmar and international non-government organisations.

JICA will support the project by sending specialists on project coordination and training planning and a range of activities concerning SSL, including teaching methods, teaching material development and evaluation and the development of interpreters, the statement said.