The Windward Islands are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that include Dominica, Martinique, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada. A variety of cultures, beliefs, languages, and views of deafness exist on the islands.
Since the 16th and 17th centuries, the Windward Islands have developed various languages that consist of many official and unofficial languages, the latter of which are usually Indigenous languages. Many people on the Windward Islands speak Creole languages. The Windward Islands have various Indigenous or Creole-signed languages following the variety of spoken languages. Creole languages typically derive from multiple sources and combine elements of different languages. Creole is derived from Pidgin, a simplified form of speech used by individuals that do not share a common language.
There are two main types of signed language in the Windward Islands. In communities with high rates of congenital deafness, there are rural or village sign languages. Both deaf and hearing people communicate using these languages, which can be called rural sign languages, shared languages, or micro-community sign languages.
The second type, deaf community sign languages, are sign languages shared by a larger community. These languages typically form with the creation of schools for the deaf, which bring together deaf children from many different areas.
Due to the lack of educational resources in the Windward Islands, many deaf individuals have communication delays. Some create their own forms of communication, leading to the invention of various sign languages in the Windward Islands that have not yet been identified by linguists.
Sign Languages Barbados In Barbados, deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals use American Sign Language (ASL) combined with signs that represent the Bajan language and culture. Many deaf people also use village sign languages.
Dominica In Dominica, American Sign Language (ASL) is the most common sign language. The other sign languages are either unknown or unofficial. As of 2011, an estimated 75 to 320 deaf people lived in Dominica.
Grenada Grenada's first school for the deaf was built in 1969. One of the first teachers was a Canadian woman who introduced ASL to the island. After she left, other educators continued to teach the students ASL.
Deaf people over the age of 40 are reported to use only home signs and gestures. Many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals under the age of 40 know and use ASL because of the deaf schools. Before the introduction of ASL, there were no indigenous Grenadian sign languages.
Martinique As of 2011, researchers estimated that between 400 and 3,200 deaf people lived in Martinique. Martinique is a French territory, and the official language is French. The primary sign language in Martinique is French Sign Language (LSF). According to the Society for Caribbean Linguistics (SCL), Martinique does not have a deaf school, meaning many individuals had to go to school in France and come back to work. However, deaf Martinicans did not like this arrangement because the cultures of France and Martinique are very different. As of the 2020s, Martinican deaf individuals are working together to incorporate their culture into the sign languages they use.
Saint Lucia The most common sign language in Saint Lucia is American Sign Language (ASL). Others are either unofficial or unknown to linguists.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, many rural deaf populations have their own localized sign languages. In this area of the Windward Islands, the most commonly used sign languages are ASL and Signing Exact English (SEE-II). In addition, deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals over the age of 35 in Saint Vincent do not use sign language because sign language was only recently introduced in the area. Many deaf people rely on home signs to communicate, and older deaf individuals do not communicate or interact with other deaf people. These individuals typically live in isolated rural areas. They often lack access to deaf education or a developed sign language. According to SIL International, an evangelical non-profit organization, "Although deaf people indicated that there may be a few local signs and facial expressions confined to Saint Vincent, they all indicated that they have grown up using 'Sign America' that they learned at school and that there is no 'Saint Vincent Sign Language.' "
Trinidad and Tobago Deaf people in Trinidad and Tobago use Trinidad and Tobago Sign Language (TTSL), which is the region's indigenous sign language. This language emerged around 1943 when the first deaf school in the region opened, called the Cascade School for the Deaf. 21st-century schools for the deaf teach American Sign Language (ASL) instead, so many deaf people of the younger generation do not use TTSL very often. When deaf Trinidadians and Tobagonians communicate at deaf associations, they typically mix TTSL with ASL.
Local deaf organizations Many nonprofit organizations, such as The Starkey Hearing Foundation, the Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired, SIL International, Joshua Project, Caribbean Deaf News, and the Barbados Association for the Blind and Deaf provide services to deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the Windward Islands.
Caribbean Deaf News uploads interviews with deaf Caribbeans, information about current events, and weather warnings to social media sites. The organization is active on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. They have also worked with Barbados' Department of Emergency Management (DEM) to train first responders in sign language so they can assist deaf individuals during emergency situations, such as a hurricane.
SIL International is an evangelical Christian nonprofit whose goal is to research and document languages around the world. One of their main goals is to translate the Christian Bible into as many languages as possible so they can proselytize to Indigenous people and speakers of minority languages worldwide. They have published reports on deaf communities in the Windward Islands.
Barbados The Barbados Association for the Blind and Deaf is a registered charity association established by an act of Parliament in 1957. It founded Barbados' first school for the deaf shortly after. The school later changed its name to the Irving Wilson School for the Blind and Deaf. This school was the only educational institution for deaf students in Barbados as of 2011. The Barbados Council for Disabilities works with disabled Barbadians, including deaf people. They provide sign language interpretation and information on deafness.
Dominica The Dominica Association of Disabled Persons (DADP) was established in 1983. It provides sign language and communication training. It also helps deaf youth find employment and prepare for living on their own. The association is funded by grants, donations, fundraisers, and government subsidies. DADP has over 400 members.
Martinique Multiple organizations in Martinique provide services to deaf individuals and their families. AMEIS, or , was founded by parents of deaf children. AMEIS provides education in French Sign Language (LSF) and trains deaf people for future employment.
Surdus Antilles, based in Fort-de-France, offers educational courses in LSF for both the general public and for interpreters. They also provide certificates for interpreters of LSF.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines SIL International has found that Saint Vincent lacks deaf organizations, although some deaf people attend informal meetings at religious institutions.
The Starkey Hearing Foundation, a nonprofit based in the United States, has worked in Grenada. Their aim is to provide hearing aids to deaf people worldwide. They held a mission to Grenada in 2019 to provide hearing aids to deaf Grenadians. The Starkey Hearing Foundation also partnered with local organizations and ministries so more deaf Grenadians would be aware of the services they provide.
Trinidad and Tobago The Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired (TTAHI) is a nonprofit founded in 1943. TTAHI provides sign language instruction and interpretation to deaf individuals, their families, schools, and first responders. They also provide occupational therapy and employment assistance to deaf people.
Civil rights Multiple countries in the Windward Islands signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), a United Nations Human Rights Treaty. Dominica signed in 2007, Grenada signed in 2010, and Saint Lucia signed in 2011. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Lucia went on to ratify the CRPD. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, and Dominica also ratified the optional protocol to the CRPD.
However, disabled people across the Windward Islands still experience marginalization. Employment rates for deaf people are low in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada. Those who have jobs are typically employed in blue-collar work and have difficulty breaking into other fields. Additionally, deaf people report receiving less pay than their hearing coworkers.
Deaf children have limited access to education and public school. In addition, few deaf people enter higher education, academia, or professional fields. Many deaf people lack a formal education because their parents keep them home to help with housework.
Early hearing detection Very few licensed pediatric audiologists practice in the Windward Island region. Those that do can perform hearing screenings and provide referrals to speech therapists. Additionally, pediatric audiologists can fit children for hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Early hearing detection and screening Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is a program that helps to ensure that newborns, infants, and young children who are hard of hearing or deaf are diagnosed early to receive the care they need in the future. EHDI is not universally implemented in the Windward Islands. Due to cost and the high rate of congenital hearing loss, few young children go through hearing screenings in the overall Caribbean region. According to a 2020 study by the Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines either lacked early hearing screenings or had little data to report.
Trinidad and Tobago The Language Education Policy of Trinidad and Tobago stated that there has never been sufficient information on deafness and deaf education to form a basis for public policy in the country. According to the Speech, Language, and Audiology Association of Trinidad and Tobago, no comprehensive audiology services are available in the public health sector. Very few audiologists practice on the islands. However, parents can send their children for a hearing evaluation to detect hearing loss. If the audiologist discovers hearing loss, they will counsel the family on how the condition will influence the child's communication, social skills, literacy, and academics. They may also recommend hearing technology or provide a referral to a speech therapist.
Hearing technology Few deaf children in the Windward Islands, and in the Caribbean overall, receive cochlear implants, hearing aids, or other technology or resources that they might need. In fact, the World Health Organization indicates that over 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss, and Latin America and the Caribbean account for 9% of the global burden of disabling hearing loss. However, some organizations, such as the Starkey Foundation, provide hearing technology. Although children and parents may have access to organizations that will provide them with hearing technology, many experience issues with using and repairing the technology.
Language deprivation