Various estimates place the world Deaf population at between 30 and 70 million. Taken as a whole, these communities would comprise one of the largest unreached people groups in the world.
Unlike most people groups, Deaf people can be found in every country in the world, and often blend in with the broader community around them. This is true in any country including Tajikistan. Most of the Deaf in Tajikistan live in Dushanbe, the capital city.
In many situations Deaf people in Tajikistan are viewed as a disabled group, but a more accurate approach is to consider them as a distinct people group. There are many common experiences shared by Deaf people around the world that contribute to Deaf culture. Since most Deaf people in Tajikistan are born to hearing parents, and very few of those parents learn to sign, many Deaf people in Tajikistan are isolated from their family and the broader community. Instead of acquiring language from their parents, many acquire language from other Deaf in the community or from a Deaf school. Decisions are made for the Deaf without Deaf input.
While many Deaf in Tajikistan people have some degree of bilingualism, for most of them it is impossible to fully learn a spoken language which they cannot hear. It is becoming more common around the world for Deaf people to learn more than one sign language.
Just like spoken languages, sign languages are not universal, and vary widely from country to country and often even within a county. There are far too few interpreters for the Deaf in Tajikistan.
For Deaf people in Tajikistan, the Bible is out of reach. Limited access to education makes learning a spoken language well enough to read scripture exceedingly difficult, and only a small percentage of Deaf people have access to scripture in a sign language. Pray for this to change in Tajikistan.
The global Deaf community is very much in need of missionaries, but the best people to reach a Deaf person is another Deaf person. Pray for Deaf Christ followers to become his ambassadors to the Deaf in Tajikistan.
Scripture Prayers for the Deaf in Tajikistan.
https://www.rferl.org/a/tajik-sign-language-pkg/27445298.html
Anonymous source
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
