Senegal has a proud history as one of the most successful models of democracy in Africa. Nevertheless, one sector of the population has traditionally been excluded from the process — the Deaf community.
“Some of us don’t even know the name of the president,” says Aminata Dia, a member of the Pikine Association of Deaf People located in the capital city of Dakar.
The biggest barrier to electoral participation by the Deaf community is the lack of a common language. Citizens need to know how, when, and why to register and vote. Such information relies on a vocabulary that becomes familiar through voter education, including such terms as: citizen, ballot, candidate, electoral campaign, voter registry, and indelible ink.