Learn South African Sign Language and help break barriers!

This is a SAnews feature article by Sandile Nene, published for Deaf Awareness Month, on the promotion of South African Sign Language (SASL) as one of the country's 12 official languages. It argues that SASL must be used widely, not only by Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and points to progress since SASL was signed into law in 2023, including sign language interpreters in government departments and SASL training for frontline workers run by the Pan South African Language Board. It tells readers that they can learn the basics of SASL using the Department of Basic Education's SASL Learning Space on Thutong and the bilingual South African Sign Language Dictionary smartphone app, developed by the National Institute for the Deaf in 2022.