In Morocco, only 15 percent of deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) children attend school. Furthermore, the lack of special education resources makes continuing their studies beyond the sixth grade nearly impossible.  Most teachers who work with these children have no training in special education, and sign language interpreters are rarely available to assist them in classrooms.  Moroccan Sign Language (MSL) is a visual and gestural language distinct from other languages spoken in Morocco and with no text representation; it can only be depicted via graphics, video, and animation. Currently, very few educational materials in Morocco incorporate MSL.  

USAID Response 

USAID aims to improve the Arabic reading skills of DHH children in grades 1 through 3 in schools for the deaf by improving the availability and quality of reading materials and teacher resources. To achieve this, USAID developed software to help teachers and parents easily create and publish MSL-supported educational materials to teach reading to DHH students. As part of this initiative, the activity is training teachers, parents, deaf association representatives, and other relevant stakeholders to use the software and in best practices for DHH reading instruction. In order to assess long-term impact and sustainability in the approach, the activity is developing the first-ever Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) for sign language, which is being piloted in Morocco.

Achievements to Date

• The educational software for deaf children completed and distributed to 10 associations working in deaf education.
• A dictionary for approximately 3,000 MSL signs and their definitions in graphics and video, their Arabic equivalents, and concept pictures developed.
• First ever EGRA and Sign Language Assessment developed, tested and implemented in 10 schools for deaf students.
• A Steering Committee formed and coached to lead the program and lobby for the rights of deaf children to equitable access to education in Morocco.

Facts & Figures

Implementing Partners: Institute for Disabilities Research and Training, Inc., the Center for Languages and Communication at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Rabat, Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education, and Scientific Research, local NGOs, Australian AID, World Vision, School-to School International.

Host Country Partners: Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research

Project Duration:  October 2015 to October 2018

Regional Focus: National