JEDDAH, 24 March 2007 — The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and a club for hearing-impaired people have joined hands to organize a five-day workshop to teach women sign language of the unified Arabic dictionary.
The workshop will take place from today on the 11th floor of the JCCI building, according to JCCI Chairman Saleh Al-Turki.
Faizah Natto, chairwoman of the JCCI Hearing Impaired Club, said that the workshop, which is the third of its kind in the city, aims to create a new generation of Arabic sign-language speakers who could work in developing and helping people with hearing problems.
There are around 100,000 hearing impaired Saudis that need sign-language assistance to obtain jobs. She said that the club offers programs for hearing-impaired women, including computer courses, beauty and hairdressing and other skills.
Natto said the first two workshops that were held in Jeddah have helped in generating a good number of sign language experts who are now working with local establishments that deal with people suffering because of hearing impairment.
She said it was important for non-professionals as well to learn the sign language to communicate with hearing-impaired people who hold jobs in public places.
