Many Deaf children in Brazil do not have access to quality education, resulting in an inability to master their own language - the sign language. Surdo para Surdo is a Brazilian tutoring platform designed to help the Deaf community in Brazil by connecting Deaf who want to learn with Deaf who are interested in teaching.
There are about 360 million people who suffer from moderate or severe hearing loss in the world and 5.7 million of them are in Brazil. Today, most Deaf children in Brazil study in schools designed for students who can hear normally. They often fail to reach their full potential because the inability to communicate has hindered their growth. Furthermore, 95% of Deaf children in Brazil have parents who are not deaf. Therefore, they not only have trouble communicating at school but also at home.
Surdo para Surdo aims to provide the Deaf community in Brazil with an online space to connect and learn from each other. It brings together Deaf students who want to learn sign language and teachers who want to teach. Surdo para Surdo provides online classes where student and teachers can meet and it aims to reach 2,200 Deaf next year and 96,900 in the next 5 years.
Communication is the key to everything. Without sign language, the Deaf community in Brazil would be unable to voice opinions and communicate with the rest of the world. By providing them with a platform to learn and teach, Surdo para Surdo has the potential to change the lives of many and improve Brazil as a whole by making more people valuable to the society. It reduces the number of Deaf students who drop out of school and increases the number of Deaf students who pursue higher education.
