It is evident from research studies that deaf youth in South Africa have limited knowledge or, rather, are misinformed about issues related to HIV/AIDS (Barnett & Whiteside, 2002). This is not a pure South African problem as Heuttel and Rothstein (2001) note those international studies on differences in HIV/AIDS knowledge between deaf and hearing youth indicates that deaf youth do not have the necessary knowledge about HIV/AIDS. To address this problem the South African government made a commitment to render and strengthen effective HIV/AIDS education to deaf learners (The White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education, 2001). Therefore, this study was aimed at exploring deaf youth’s perceptions about HIV/AIDS, the impact of HIV/AIDS, as well as the role that deaf youth play in the fight against HIV/AIDS in schools. A qualitative research approach was used for this study and a convenience sample of forty participants from two schools for the deaf in the Eastern Cape Province was used. The sample comprised twenty learners from each school, ranging from 14-21 years of age. Interviews were used as a data collection tool. The study has four findings, that is: deaf youth do not have critical knowledge about HIV/AIDS; deaf youth access information through conversations (with peers) and television; life skills teachers put more emphasis on religious education than talking explicitly about HIV/AIDS and discussions about HIV/AIDS are seldom held for fear of stigmatisation and due to various perceptions about HIV transmission. The study concludes that it is imperative for deaf youth to have the right knowledge and skills to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS therefore; this dissertation recommends that there is a need to address issues related to knowledge improvement, access to information and the social stigma against HIV/AIDS. The study further notes that there is a need to research, reasons why HIV/AIDS is not incorporated in all learning areas; other factors that may be causing teachers not to be able to offer in-depth HIV/AIDS education to deaf youth and to determine the extent to which SLED materials are being put to use by teachers of deaf learners.

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Audiology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg March 2016. / Only a small number of Deaf school-leavers in South Africa enter higher education institutions (DeafSA, 2009). There does not seem to be an incentive to encourage Deaf school-leavers to enter higher education which contributes to the 90% unemployment rate of Deaf adults in South Africa (DeafSA, 2009). Deaf learners do not always seem to have opportunities for further study due to poor literacy skills. Deaf school leavers appear inadequately prepared for further education and employment when they leave high school and experience difficulty with communication and socio-emotional adjustment in the hearing world. This study explored the preparedness of young deaf adults for further education and employment within the Western Cape by describing the reflections of Deaf school-leavers regarding their transition from school to higher education and vocation. Focus group interviews and in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 19 Deaf participants between the ages of 21 and 25 who use SASL as their primary mode of communication and have attended a signing school for the Deaf in the Western Cape. The services of two SASL interpreters were used and the data collected were analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings of this study point to possible strategies that may facilitate the transition of the Deaf school leaver to higher education and vocation in the Western Cape. The data obtained in this study indicated a need for improved academic preparation of Deaf learners; an increase in educators of the Deaf that are fluent in SASL; an increase in SASL interpreters at higher education institutions and stronger transition programs at schools for the Deaf in the Western Cape. Moreover, participants in this study indicated a need for financial assistance for Deaf students to further their education and expressed the need for Deaf awareness and sensitization training of employers, employees, lecturers and fellow students of the Deaf in the Western Cape. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggested assistance from job placement officers with regard to integration and socialization of deaf employees in the workplace. / GR 2017

South Africa has a dearth of deaf appropriate assistive resources – giving rise to deaf adolescents leaving school early and poor adult outcomes. These factors are negatively influenced by the interaction of other elements such as the inadequate cultural and social nurturing and lack of support. Approached from a bio-ecological model, to pro-actively address the support needed by deaf and hard-of-hearing persons to empower them to develop the capacity to withstand the challenges they have to endure, to stand up to and resist the negative ideas about what they are capable of. In this study, major risk factors were identified as communication deprivation and unpreparedness of parents to raise a deaf child appropriately where mediating factors were identified as social-emotional competence and deaf teaching assistants at South African Schools for the Deaf. The main findings of this study were that the need for early training of parents, access to Sign Language, deaf role models and social-emotional training in SA schools for the Deaf are proposed pathways to well-being. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)