Deaf in Brazil

People Name:	Deaf
Country:	Brazil
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	1,088,000
World Population:	50,265,850
Primary Language:	Brazilian Sign Language
Primary Religion:	Christianity
Christian Adherents:	91.40 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Portions
Ministry Resources:	No
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	No
People Cluster:	Deaf
Affinity Bloc:	Deaf
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

Deaf people are scattered throughout Brazil, within every ethnicity and social stratus of the sociologically complex nation. Deaf schools pepper the country as well, but few of these work from a Christian base. When this project has been presented, secular and Christian schools have shown eager enthusiasm for having the Scripture materials to be used in their schools.
The Deaf population of Brazil uses LIBRAS (Lingua Brasileira de Sinais, or Brazilian Sign Language) as their first language. These people are a microcosm of the nation, coming from both indigenous Brazilians and from among the many major worldwide ethnicities that have immigrated into Brazil in the past 200 years.

Although their racial backgrounds differ, the Deaf in Brazil share more in common with one another than they do with the wider hearing population. Because there are more opportunities for education and employment for the Deaf in urban areas, many families with Deaf children move from the countryside into cities.

Companies are legally required to maintain a certain percentage of physically challenged employees, but many businesses circumvent or ignore the laws. This practice limits the real opportunities available to the Deaf, and as a result, forces many into low-salaried positions creating a Deaf community majority with serious economic problems.

There are no accurate statistics about the number of Christians among the Deaf in Brazil. The populous as a whole embraces religion, which includes a majority who consider themselves Catholics, although many accept mystical, occult or traditional religious rituals alongside Christian professions.