Basic Honduran Sign Language (LESHO) course – Honduras (IFMSA-Honduras)

Name of the activity: Basic Honduran Sign Language (LESHO) course

Country/NMO: Honduras (IFMSA-Honduras)

Program: Dignified & Non-Discriminatory Healthcare

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education

General description:

The deaf community in Honduras is an unattended section of the population, borderline forgotten by most areas of society management entities (education, health, etc.). In light of this problematic, this activity looks forward to impulse the creation of a future workforce in the health sector who are at least LESHO-capable through a basic language course, in an attempt to diminish the barrier of language between the health professionals and the Honduran deaf community. In order to create health professionals who are able to provide a more integral service to their people, regardless of the condition that might attain them, enhancing the ease of access to health resources by this community, and promoting a future where the Honduran health services become far more inclusive.

Focus area:

Vulnerable or marginalized populations | Persons with disabilities

Problem statement:

In Honduras, there are approximately 34775 persons who are part of the deaf community. Currently, access to health staff who know the Honduran sign language (LESHO) is a rare event. Resulting in the impairment of access to health services due to barrier of language, leaving the deaf individuals are fully dependent of third party volunteers that they must seek by themselves or family members to acquire healthcare.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

The target groups are the students of health careers (medicine, nursing, nutrition, dentistry, pharmacy, radiology technician, and physical therapy) in the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH). On the long run, the beneficiaries is the nationwide Honduran deaf community.

Objectives and indicators of success:

Educate in the basic knowledge of LESHO at least 12 health career students of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (campus Ciudad Universitaria) in Tegucigalpa, by way of a structured course, within the span of five weeks.

Methodology:

A classroom was accommodated within the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UNAH to hold the course for a maximum of 35 students, and a specialized professor in the language was obtained to provide the course of LESHO I. Then a call for participants was made, having the participants register through a Google form, and accept a commitment condition as the sole requisite to participate.
The course would then be executed for a total of 20 hours, in the following way: 2 hours a day (Tuesday/Thursday), 2 days a week, over a total of five weeks.
At the end of the course, an exam was applied to grant the certification of completion to those who obtained a grade equal or higher to 70%.

Plans for evaluation:

The level of success of the activity will be based off the number of enrolled students who successfully completed and approved the course within the following ranges:
*12-15 students approved the course: minimum success accomplished
*15-19 students approved the course: low tier success accomplished
*20-24 students approved the course: medium tier success accomplished
*25-35 students approved the course: high tier success accomplished (exceeded the expectations).