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“Beyond silence” is the theme for this year’s Deaf Awareness week from May 5th to 11th.
This message is tailored to understanding the modes of communication in the deaf community, including a variety of sign languages, writing, lip-reading, and communicating with assistive devices such as hearing aids.
The focus is also on access to education, sociocultural and workplace challenges encountered by deaf individuals, and the need for inclusivity and fairness within these spaces. This theme, which was crafted by the United Kingdom Council on Deafness, seems to align with achieving the first ever Abacus and Science Competition among deaf students.
I organized the first-ever Abacus and Science Competition among deaf students called Dr. Adzeley’s Abacus and Science Competition at the Demonstration School for the Deaf, Mampong-Akuapem, located in Ghana, on the 14th of March, 2025.
Presentation of 1st Prize to the winner of Dr. Adzeley’s Abacus and Science Competition.
About 45 students were trained to use the Abacus for counting and complex calculations. Ten of these deaf students were selected for the competition, which involved 6 rounds consisting of Mathematics questions necessitating the use of the abacus and Science questions which required single-word answers. Contestants were mandated to write their answers on papers.
Total communication (sign language and voice) was used throughout the whole competition.
Within the competition, different methods of communication were utilized: talking, writing, lip-reading, and the use of both Ghanaian Sign Language and American Sign Language. I was intentional about structuring the contest in this manner to make it as inclusive as possible so that a blind person could hear and understand, and hearing people could also watch and understand as well as people within the deaf community.
“I feel happy about this Abacus and Science Competition. The abacus helped me improve my math skills, particularly in mental calculation.”
“The best part of this Abacus and Science Competition for me was the opportunity to apply mathematical concepts to real-world problems and see how science and math are interconnected.”
These were the words of some deaf contestants after Dr. Adzeley’s Abacus and Science Competition in Ghana.
According to the World Federation of the Deaf, about 80% of 34 million deaf children lack educational access, with only an estimated 2% of these deaf children having the opportunity of acquiring formal education in sign language.
Furthermore, several studies have shown the benefits of early exposure of sign language to deaf children in achieving developmental milestones (Hall et al., 2019). A similar pattern has been seen in deaf children with implants who had the opportunity of learning sign language as opposed to their counterparts who do not use sign language (Davidson et al., 2014 & Hassanzadeh 2012).
This evidence makes a strong case for the recognition of sign language as an official language as well as the inclusion of sign language in the school curricula from the basic to the university level in countries like Ghana, where this has not been done yet.
The abacus is a tool made up of beads and a frame used for calculating and counting. This instrument is very beneficial in performing speedy calculations and is utilized in mathematics competitions for hearing children.
The use of the abacus has been tied to cognitive benefits. A study in India on the use of the abacus among 90 deaf students revealed academic improvements in their numeracy skills (Jadhav and Gathoo, 2018).
Similarly, most of the contestants expressed that the abacus has helped them improve their mathematics skills.
Here are some thoughts from the teachers at the Demonstration School for the Deaf:
“The competition has improved the academics especially in Mathematics. It has made Mathematics easy for them in the classroom since they have acquired the skills in the use of Abacus”
“It has enhanced the aspect of critical thinking and re-calling the correct answer.”
One of the most pivotal moments of the contest was when I posed a question to the deaf students in the audience as well as the contestants on what they would like to become in the future and what careers they would like to pursue. Most of the responses were as follows: pilots, nurses, scientists, doctors, journalists, and mathematicians.
It is heartwarming to see their ambition and drive. With more inclusive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives, there is a higher probability for the discovery of a greater number of such talents who would want to pursue careers in these fields.
Written by: Dr. Naa Adzoa Adzeley Boi-Dsane
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