Your inquiry about Deaf people in Côte d’Ivoire
What is the population of deaf people in your country?
There have been a general census in 2014 but till now the result has not been published so we don’t
know the recent rates. However, according to general census of 1998, there are 50,689 Deaf people
in Côte d’Ivoire. There are among them 24,021 women.
How many schools for the deaf are there in CIV?
Officially, there is only one school for the Deaf in Côte d’Ivoire. This school was established by Dr
Andrew Foster in 1974. Since 1998, Government appropriates it. The name of the school is: “Ecole
Ivoirienne pour les Sourds” (Ivorian School for the Deaf) and it is located in Abidjan and is a primary
school.
We notice some private initiatives in establishing schools for the Deaf in many regions of Côte
d’Ivoire. Most of the time these schools are not typically for the Deaf as they receive also others
children with disabilities or they are mainstreaming schools. Our service knows six (06) schools.
No secondary nor superior schools for the Deaf exist in Côte d’Ivoire.
Does CIV have education laws guaranteeing the rights of the deaf?
No. In Côte d’Ivoire there is no an education law whish target any specific group. The fundamental
law (the constitution) of CIV and the basic education law say that "The right to education is
guaranteed to every citizen”.
We can underline that Côte d’Ivoire ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD) and the Education for All statement (EFA). There is also a national law about
mainstreaming people with disabilities. In this law, there is a chapter about education and vocational
training.
For the Improvement of People with Disabilities’
Living Conditions
COTE D’IVOIRE
Web site: www.swbci.org / Email: societywithoutbarriers@live.fr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swbci
Headquater: Abidjan, Yopougon – Gare
Post Office Box: 21 BP 4388 ABIDJAN 21, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
Phone: (sms) +225 05 134 601 / (Vocal) +225 05 557 849 / 49 353 281
_________________
How many social organizations for the deaf does CIV have? What are their purposes?
There are many organizations for the Deaf in Côte d’Ivoire. Here are the main organizations:
- ANASOCI (National Association of the Deaf)
- AISPD (Ivorian Association of the Deaf for the Promotion and Defense)
- GEESCI (Group of Côte d’Ivoire Deaf Pupils and Students works specifically for pupils and
students)
- FASOCI (Federation of Deaf people of Côte d’Ivoire’s Associations)
- ANAFESOCI (National Association for Deaf Women of Côte d’Ivoire)
The common purpose of these organizations is to promote Deaf people social, economic and cultural
rights in Côte d’Ivoire.
There are also two NGO created and leaded by Deaf persons:
- HAI (Handicap Alliance International):
This NGO works in the area of promoting sign language interpreting services and Deaf
education
- SWB-CI (Society Without Barriers – Côte d’Ivoire:
This NGO works in the area of Education, Vocational training, Health, Sign Language
development, Sign Language Interpreting. This NGO has published the first Sign Language
Dictionary of Côte d’Ivoire (2012) and the first bilingual sign language learning manual
(2014).
Are the deaf in CIV gainfully employed?
It is not easy for Deaf people in Côte d’Ivoire to have a gainful job because:
- Low education/vocational training level
- Discrimination against people with disabilities on the job market
To improve the living condition of people with disabilities through their access to gainful jobs, Ivorian
Government often recruits lot of persons with disabilities as civil servants. In this way, more than one
hundred (100) Deaf persons work in public administrations till now.
What other information about the deaf in CIV will you like international students to know?
There is in Côte d’Ivoire one Sign Language Interpreters’ Organization (OILS-CI) but the job of Sign
language Interpreter is not certified yet. Also, Sign language is not officially recognized by
Government.