Sign Language, Braille and Assistive Technology

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate: school leavers, parents and family members of deaf or blind children, church and community workers, shop and market staff, and persons with disabilities themselves. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Who it is not for. This is not the Hub's Inclusive Training Guide, which is written for trainers and staff who adapt their workshops. This book is for learners and the public who want the skills themselves. The two books work well together.

Why this course

• Ghana has 470,737 people officially recognised as having some degree of hearing loss. The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) says many still cannot get stable, decent jobs.
• Professional sign language interpreters are scarce, costly and hard to reach, and many public institutions have none. A blind women's leader in Tamale asked government to employ interpreters at hospitals because most hospitals have none.
• Braille paper, writing frames and braille writers are short in Ghana's schools. In Takoradi, the Ghana Blind Union's Western Regional President said you cannot find even one braille sheet in stationery shops.
• Worldwide, more than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, white canes and glasses, and in some low-income countries as few as 3% have what they need.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.

Every unit ends with:

Competency standard

Range. Classroom role plays; one community conversation. Evidence. Oral questions; role-play observation; homework notes.

The people you will meet

Many Deaf people see deafness as a difference in human experience, not a disease to fix. Respect that view even if you do not share it.

Words to use, words to drop

Your rights basics

• Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) covers rights, access and work for persons with disabilities.
• The Act offers tax incentives to employers of persons with disabilities; GNAD says these have not been used and asks for a revised law.
• Each Assembly sets aside part of its Common Fund for persons with disabilities; the share rose from 3% to 5% from 2026.

How to offer help: the four steps

1. Greet the person and say who you are. For a blind person, say your name: they may not know your voice.
2. Ask: "Would you like some help?" For a deaf person, catch their eye first (Unit 2).
3. Listen to the answer. If the answer is no, smile and leave it.
4. Do it their way: ask "How should I help?" and follow the instructions.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself

1. What is the difference between "deaf" and "Deaf"?
2. What are the four steps for offering help?
3. Which Ghana law covers the rights of persons with disabilities?

Competency standard

Range. Classroom with a deaf teacher; one visit or video call with Deaf people. Evidence. Oral questions; etiquette role play observed by the deaf teacher.

Where Ghanaian Sign Language came from

• Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL) was introduced in 1957 by Andrew Foster, a deaf African-American missionary. It comes from American Sign Language (ASL).
• GSL is the national sign language of deaf people in Ghana, and the Ghana National Association of the Deaf supports it.
• Ghana also has village sign languages that grew up on their own. Adamorobe Sign Language is used in an Akan village in the Akuapem Hills, where many people are born deaf; there, hearing villagers sign too and deafness carries no stigma. It is now endangered, because deaf children go to boarding school where GSL is used.
• In 2024 a Harmonised Ghanaian Sign Language Dictionary was introduced, so that deaf learners in every region use a common set of signs.
• In September 2025 a GSL curriculum from Kindergarten to Senior High School was launched by the Ministry of Education through NaCCA and the Special Education Division, with GNAD.
• GSL is still not legally recognised; GNAD keeps asking for official recognition.

Sign languages are real languages

• Sign languages are full natural languages with their own grammar and words. They are not universal: each country usually has its own.
• A sign language is not English on the hands. Its grammar is usually different from the spoken language around it.

The five parts of every sign

Every sign is built from these parts. Change one part and you may change the meaning.

You will use these five parts in Unit 3 to write down each sign your teacher shows you, in your own words.

Deaf culture: what to know

• Sign language is at the heart of Deaf culture.
• You belong to the Deaf community by identity and by being accepted, not by how little you hear. Hearing people can join later in life, for example as signing family members.
• Deaf people may be more direct than hearing people. They often explain in detail why they arrive late or leave early, and not doing so can seem rude.
• Deaf people often arrive early to get a seat with a good view.

Deaf etiquette: step by step

1. Get attention with a gentle tap on the shoulder or upper arm, a wave in the person's view, or by switching the lights off and on once.
2. Face the person. Stand where your face is in good light. Do not stand with a bright window behind you.
3. Keep eye contact. Looking away while someone signs is like walking away while they talk.
4. Keep your mouth visible. No hands, food or chewing gum in front of your mouth. Do not shout.
5. Joining a group: wait for a pause, wave gently, then join.
6. Walking between two signers: it is fine to pass quickly; do not stop between them.
7. If you do not understand: say so (or sign "again"). Never pretend.

Where to learn GSL

Check yourself

1. Who brought sign language education to Ghana, and in what year?
2. Name the five parts of a sign.
3. Give two polite ways to get a deaf person's attention.

Competency standard

Range. Classroom practice with a deaf teacher; one short real conversation. Evidence. Signed introduction assessed by the deaf teacher; sign log.

Fingerspelling: how it works

• Fingerspelling shows each letter of a written word with one handshape. ASL uses a one-handed alphabet, signed with your strong (dominant) hand, usually just below the shoulder, at about shoulder height.
• Most letters are held still. J and Z move: J is the letter I with a twist of the wrist, and Z is drawn in the air with the index finger.
• A is a fist with the thumb at the side; S is a fist with the thumb across the front. Some pairs look alike (H and U, K and P, G and Q, A and S), so watch the direction of the palm and the thumb.
• Whether GSL fingerspelling is exactly the same as ASL's was not verified. Learn the alphabet from your deaf teacher and the GhSL app.

Steps to fingerspell well

1. Hold your hand still at the side of your chest, just below the shoulder, palm facing the watcher.
2. Make each letter clearly, one after the other, without bouncing your hand for each letter.
3. Keep a steady rhythm. Clear and even is better than fast.
4. Pause briefly at the end of a word, or drop your hand.
5. Mouth the word quietly (no voice) if your teacher says that is the local habit.
6. Check that the watcher understood. If not, spell again more slowly.

Common mistakes and fixes

Reading fingerspelling

1. Look at the whole shape of the word, not each letter.
2. Watch the first and last letters closely.
3. Say the word in your head; if it makes no sense, ask for a repeat.

First everyday signs: memory notes

These are American forms described by an ASL teaching website. Check each one with your deaf teacher.

Your 30-sign starter list (learn from your teacher)

Ask your deaf teacher for these signs. For each one, write a memory note using the five parts from Unit 2.

How to write a memory note (example). "Thank you: flat hand, palm in, fingertips at chin; moves out and down towards the person; smile." Five parts: handshape (flat), palm (in), location (chin), movement (out and down), face (smile).

Steps for a practice session (30 minutes a day)

1. Warm up your hands (shake, open and close fists) for one minute.
2. Revise yesterday's signs with the app, out loud in your head.
3. Learn five new signs from your teacher's video or the app.
4. Practise in a mirror, then record yourself on a phone (only your own face).
5. Compare with the teacher's version. Fix one part at a time: handshape first, then location, then movement.
6. Use them with a deaf friend or classmate the same day.

Check yourself

1. When should you use fingerspelling instead of a sign?
2. Which two letters of the one-handed alphabet move?
3. Who decides the correct Ghanaian form of a sign?

Competency standard

Range. Egg-carton cells, braille alphabet card, slate and stylus. Evidence. Reading test; written name in braille checked by a braille reader.

The braille cell

A braille cell is six dots in two columns of three. Count down the left side 1, 2, 3, then down the right side 4, 5, 6.

Braille is a system of six dots read by touch with the fingertips, invented by Louis Braille, a visually impaired man.

The alphabet in three lines

Line 1 (a–j) uses only the top four dots (1, 2, 4, 5).

Line 2 (k–t) is line 1 with dot 3 added.

Line 3 (u–z) is the first five letters with dots 3 and 6 added, except w.

The dot numbers in these tables are read from the braille characters shown in the source.

w is the odd one out. It does not follow the pattern, so learn it on its own: w = 2-4-5-6.

Numbers and capitals

• Number sign: dots 3-4-5-6. After the number sign, the letters a to j mean the digits 1 to 0: a = 1, b = 2 … i = 9, j = 0.
• So 25 is: number sign, then b, then e.
• Capital sign: dot 6, placed before a letter to make it a capital.
• Full stop: dots 2-5-6. Comma: dot 2.

Grade 1 and Grade 2

• Grade 1 braille spells every letter, nearly one braille cell for each print letter. It is for beginners.
• Grade 2 uses hundreds of short forms (contractions) to save space. Most books for adults use it. You meet a few contractions at Level 2.
• Ghana's Blind Union promotes Unified English Braille (UEB), for example at the 2026 National Braille Literacy Competition at Akropong.

Make a big cell to learn

Materials: half an egg carton (6 cups), 6 ping-pong balls or bottle tops, a marker.

1. Turn the carton so it has 2 columns and 3 rows.
2. Write 1, 2, 3 down the left side and 4, 5, 6 down the right side.
3. Put a ball in a cup to "raise" a dot. Empty cups are flat.
4. Your partner calls a letter; you build it; they check with the tables.
5. Then close your eyes, let your partner build a letter, and read it by touch.

Reading by touch: steps

1. Wash and dry your hands; braille paper is spoiled by grease and water.
2. Use the pads of your fingers, not the tips or nails.
3. Use light pressure. Pressing hard flattens dots and makes reading harder.
4. Read left to right, moving smoothly along the line. Use both index fingers: one reads, one keeps your place.
5. At the end of the line, slide back along the same line and drop to the next.

Writing with a slate and stylus

A slate is two hinged halves. You put heavy paper inside, close it, and press a pointed stylus through the windows to push up dots. A slate for normal-size paper has 28 cells on each row.

Because you press from the front and the dots rise on the back, you write from right to left and form each letter in mirror image. You then take the paper out and turn it over to read it.

Steps

1. Open the slate. Put the braille paper in with the edge against the hinge. Close it firmly so the pins hold the paper.
2. Hold the stylus with the knob in your palm and your index finger along the side.
3. Start at the top right cell of the first row.
4. In each window, the dot positions are mirrored: dots 1, 2, 3 are on the right side of the window; dots 4, 5, 6 are on the left.
5. Press straight down, firmly but without tearing. Lift and move to the next dot.
6. Leave one empty window for a space between words.
7. Finish, open the slate, turn the paper over and read it with your fingers.

Common mistakes and fixes

Perkins brailler. A Perkins Brailler is a machine with six dot keys, one for each dot, plus a space bar, a backspace key and a line key. It writes the right way round, so no mirror is needed. You meet it at Level 2.

Check yourself

1. Which dots are on the left side of the cell?
2. How do you write the number 3 in braille?
3. Why do you write from right to left on a slate?

Competency standard

Range. Training centre with a door and steps; a short outdoor walk. Evidence. Guided walk observed (with a blind assessor if possible); large-print notice.

Sighted guide: step by step

1. Ask first: "Would you like a guide?".
2. Offer your arm: touch the back of your hand to the person's hand, so they can find your arm.
3. The grip: they hold your arm just above the elbow and walk half a step behind you.
4. Walk at their pace. Keep your arm relaxed by your side.
5. Narrow spaces: move your guiding arm behind your back; the person steps in behind you, in single file.
6. Steps and stairs: stop, say "steps up" or "steps down", and pause at the first and last step.
7. Doors: say which way the door opens and which side the hinges are on.
8. Seats: place their hand on the back of the chair and say which way it faces. Let them sit themselves.
9. Leaving: never leave someone standing in open space. Bring them to a wall, a chair or another person, and say you are leaving.

Common mistakes and fixes

The white cane

• White Cane Safety Day is 15 October each year.
• The Ghana Blind Union has asked government to waive tax on imported white canes, saying the tax stops it importing them.
• Never take or move a person's cane without asking. Tell drivers and okada riders to stop for a cane user.

Describe exactly

• Say "the chair is one step to your left", not "over there".
• Clock positions for a plate or table: "rice at 6 o'clock, stew at 2 o'clock, water glass at 1 o'clock above the plate."
• Say who is in the room when a blind person enters, and say when people leave.
• Read signs, prices and menus word for word; do not choose for the person.

Large print and reading aloud

Large print:

Reading a document aloud: steps

1. Ask the person what they want read: all of it, or only parts.
2. Read the title and date first, then the headings, so they know the shape of the document.
3. Read exactly, including numbers and amounts. Do not add your opinion.
4. Spell names, phone numbers and figures digit by digit when asked.
5. Keep it private: read in a quiet place; never share what you read.
6. If they must sign, read the whole paper first and show them where to sign (place their hand or the pen at the line).

Check yourself

1. Where does the blind person hold your arm, and where do they walk?
2. What do you do with your arm in a narrow space?
3. What is the smallest text size for large print?

Competency standard

Range. Android phones; a demonstration hearing aid; a cane and crutches. Evidence. Observation of each setup; care checklist.

What assistive products are

Assistive products include wheelchairs, glasses, artificial limbs, white canes and hearing aids, plus digital tools like speech recognition and captioning. In Ghana, the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations names high cost, limited supply, low awareness and weak policy as barriers to getting devices.

A talking phone: TalkBack on Android

TalkBack is the screen reader built into Android phones; it lets a person use the phone without seeing it.

Turn it on

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → TalkBack.
2. Turn on Use TalkBack.
3. Shortcut: hold down both volume buttons for a few seconds to turn TalkBack on or off, once the shortcut is set up.
4. The first time, a tutorial opens; do it together with the user.

Three gestures to learn first

1. Touch an item with one finger to hear what it is.
2. Double-tap with one finger to open or use it.
3. Swipe right with one finger to move to the next item; drag two fingers up or down to scroll.

A bigger screen: Magnification

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Magnification.
2. Turn on Magnification shortcut and choose a shortcut: the accessibility button, holding both volume keys, or triple-tap the screen.
3. Use the shortcut, then pinch with two fingers to zoom (up to 8 times) and drag two fingers to move around.
4. Use the shortcut again to stop.

Hand magnifiers. For people with low vision, an eye clinic's low vision service decides the right magnifier. A 2026 national directory lists low vision assessment and training in Accra, Kumasi and other centres, including the University of Cape Coast; it lists no Western Region service. The GBU Accra Rehabilitation Centre offers assessment and devices such as magnifiers, telescopes and reading stands.

Caring for a hearing aid

Parts. A hearing aid has a microphone, an amplifier and a speaker. Common styles are behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE) and in-the-canal.

Daily care: step by step. Steps 2–4 and 6 follow the NIDCD advice.

1. Wash and dry your hands. Work over a table with a soft cloth, so a dropped aid does not break.
2. Wipe the aid with a dry soft cloth. Brush wax from the openings with the small brush from the maker. Earwax can damage the aid.
3. Keep it dry and away from heat: never leave it in the sun, in a hot car or in the bathroom.
4. Take it out before using hair spray or hair products, and before bathing or swimming.
5. Turn it off when not in use; at night, open the battery door to save the battery.
6. Store it in its case, away from children and pets. Keep spare batteries away from children too.

Changing the battery

1. Check the size the hearing aid needs (it is in the manual or on the old battery).
2. Pull off the coloured sticker and wait about five minutes so air can wake the battery; this can add days to its life.
3. Open the battery door, put the battery in with the + (flat side) as marked, and close the door gently.
4. Replace dead batteries straight away. Take used batteries to a recycling point, not the fire.

Whistling (feedback) often means a poor fit, or wax or fluid blocking the ear: send the person to the audiologist.

Mobility aids overview

Walking stick (cane)

Underarm crutches

Wheelchairs must be fitted to the user by a trained person. See the Hub's wheelchair course for wheelchair skills and repairs. At this level, you only check and refer.

Check yourself

1. How do you turn TalkBack on or off quickly?
2. How long should you wait after removing a hearing aid battery sticker?
3. Where should the weight go when someone uses underarm crutches?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; one-page plan.

What the market says

• Public institutions often have no in-house interpreters, mostly because they lack money to pay them; professional interpreters are scarce and costly.
• One interpreter said in a 2019 study that they charged GH¢200 an hour, negotiable for long jobs. This is an old figure for a trained interpreter; you are not an interpreter at Level 1.
• In 2021, parents were reported to be paying for interpreters in schools themselves.
• Braille paper is hard to find in the Western Region.

Location settings that give good returns

Business ideas and ingenuity (Level 1 limits)

Market yourself

• A short, honest name and message: "Talking phones and big screens set up here", "Hearing aid batteries and care".
• A WhatsApp Business profile with your services and prices, and a short video of you setting up a phone (with permission).
• Put a sign at your stand in large print, and say "we sign a little; deaf customers welcome", only if true.
• Ask GNAD and GBU branches, churches and clinics to refer people; give them your card in large print.
• Never use pity in your adverts. Show deaf and blind people as customers and partners, not as objects of charity.

Accessibility: who can do this work

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 covers access and work. The Assemblies' disability fund rose to 5% from 2026; ask STMA about training, devices or start-up help.

Check yourself

1. Why must you not interpret at a hospital at Level 1?
2. In a sign-language circle, who teaches and who organises?
3. Name two places in Sekondi-Takoradi where these skills are needed.

1. What is the difference between "deaf" and "Deaf"?
2. Where did Ghanaian Sign Language come from?
3. Name the five parts of a sign.
4. Why must you learn signs from a deaf teacher and not from a book?
5. Which letters of the one-handed alphabet move?
6. Which dots make the letter "a" and the letter "l"?
7. What is the number sign, and how do you write 10?
8. On a slate, where do you start writing, and why?
9. Where does a blind person hold your arm when you guide?
10. Name three TalkBack gestures.
11. Name three rules for caring for a hearing aid.
12. Name two things you must not do at Level 1.

Best next reads: the GhSL Dictionary app; the Harmonised Ghanaian Sign Language Dictionary; RNIB's guide to guiding people with sight loss; Google's TalkBack help pages; the Hub's Inclusive Training Guide (for staff) and wheelchair course.

What this module does not cover: fluent GSL conversation, interpreting, Grade 2 braille contractions, the Perkins brailler in use, computer screen readers, hearing tests, fitting of any device, and wheelchair skills (see Level 2, the Hub's Inclusive Training Guide and the wheelchair course).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.