Breaking barriers: Khadeejah Hansrod’s journey to education excellence

When lectures began, Khadeejah Hansrod did not always have a South African sign language (Sasl) interpreter at her side. Instead, she pieced together her education using live transcription, voice dictation apps, text-to-speech tools and a great deal of determination.

In group assignments, where communication could easily have become a barrier, Hansrod turned it into an opportunity.

“I taught my hearing classmates Sasl,” she said.

Hansrod graduated with her Bachelor of education in foundation phase teaching and walked the University of KwaZulu-Natal  graduation stage with a record of academic excellence and a strong message about inclusion.

A top achiever, Hansrod, placed third nationally in Sasl and second among learners in special schools in KwaZulu-Natal.

“I am a proudly deaf qualified teacher and want to break down discrimination and communication barriers to show deafness is not a barrier to success. Sasl is not only for the deaf, it’s a bridge for everyone,” she said.

Hansrod is passionate about creating spaces where deaf children can see themselves as future doctors, pilots and police officers with certainty and confidence.

“Every child should feel seen and supported. Teachers who know Sasl can play a key role in breaking the delays and gaps in deaf education.

“Inclusion means recognising everyone’s value, not focusing on what people lack, but supporting what they bring. We need more lecturers to learn Sasl, more awareness of deaf culture and better academic access for deaf students,” she said.

Hansrod hopes one day there will be a university for the deaf in SA, “one that’s also open to hearing students interested in Sasl”.

“Sasl is an official language in SA. It needs to be treated that way in schools. Education should be motivating and accessible for everyone.”

TimesLIVE