International (MNN) — Yesterday’s report highlighted the Milan Congress of 1880 and its harmful impact on Deaf education. Decisions made at Milan removed access to sign language, which stopped Deaf students from learning.
“Deaf friends of mine have talked about the experiences they had in Deaf schools where their hands were tied behind their backs, and their hands were beaten so that the children were not allowed to sign in class,” Rob Myers of DOOR International says.
“Thankfully, that’s changed significantly, but the (Deaf) community is still reaping the repercussions of over 100 years of that happening within their community.”
Similarly, Deaf communities today are cut off from the Gospel because it’s not available in the language they understand best.
“Access to sign language means access to information,” Myers explains.
“You have to have access to information in order to have access to the Gospel and to understand who Jesus is.”
DOOR International meets this need by training Deaf missionaries and translating Scripture into sign languages. More about that here. As a Deaf-led organization, DOOR creates Gospel access by the Deaf, for the Deaf.
“DOOR has about 230 staff globally, and 85 percent of our staff are Deaf,” Myers says.
A Deaf Gospel worker and Deaf students in Burundi.
(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)
Instead of imposing methods that work best in a hearing context, Deaf leaders at DOOR International teach other Deaf Christians how to share the Gospel in a Deaf way.
“We as hearing people have thought that Deaf people, because they can see, can read easily. Therefore, we just need to give them a written Bible for them to have access,” Myers says.
“[Instead,] they need access to God’s Word in their heart language, in sign language. They need somebody who is Deaf, who is trained to share the Gospel in a way that meets their language, culture, and context perfectly.”
Visit DOOR’s website to learn more about the needs of the global Deaf community, and consider partnering with DOOR International.
“There’s some great information from Deaf leaders in the field about how to effectively share the Gospel with Deaf people. There’s access to Scripture that’s been translated in case you run across a Deaf person and want to allow them to see Scripture in their own heart language,” Myers says.
“Deaf leaders across our organization would love for you to come alongside and partner with them in this amazing, effective work that they’re doing in over 30 countries.”
Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.
