“Some of the things I understand but not all of it”. A group of deaf adolescents’ sources of knowledge and concerns regarding the adequacy of their level of knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Abstract

In light of the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic in South Africa and the world, adolescents need to be acutely aware of the risks and consequences of HIV/AIDS. However, information campaigns may not always convey that information to adolescents successfully, especially deaf adolescents who may not have access to auditory information and may have limited access to information presented via South African Sign Language (SASL). Within the South African context, the combination of disability and poverty may exacerbate the difficulties in disseminating information about HIV/AIDS to deaf youth. Seven deaf, SASL-using adolescents at a school for deaf learners in a township in Johannesburg were interviewed with regard their sources of information and their concerns regarding the adequacy of their level of knowledge HIV/AIDS. The results of the study suggest that deaf adolescents appear to be at risk for insufficient information about HIV/AIDS due to barriers such as literacy difficulties, language barriers and limited access to information. The results also suggest that HIV/AIDS campaigns consider the needs of hearing-impaired people so that appropriate materials and methods can be implemented for the successful transmission of information about HIV/AIDS.