Visions Academy - School for the Deaf

Hawassa, Sidama Region

Over the years, we have observed a clear need to better respond to the evolving needs of the local deaf community by establishing a formal school for the deaf in which students are not marginalized, neglected, or set up to fail in a system not designed for them, and in which teachers / staff, programs, and curriculum are made accessible in formal Ethiopian Sign Language and with special consideration for the learning strategies that best serve children with hearing loss.

As the first school for deaf and hard-of-hearing (HoH) children in Hawassa, the 5th largest city in the country, the Visions Academy School for the Deaf opened with great excitement in October 2023 with an inaugural class of 44 students spanning Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2! Over time, we intend to expand our school by reaching all the way up to Grade 12 and serving hundreds of children from communities throughout the region. While most of our students are deaf or hard-of-hearing, we also serve hearing children of deaf adults (“CODAs”), nonverbal students, and other hearing children with a special interest in or connection to deafness (ie: they have a deaf sibling or family member).

Following the national academic calendar, which typically runs from September / October through June annually, we offer instruction in Mathematics, Science, Amharic, English, Ethiopian Sign Language, and Physical Education. We have big dreams for the future and invite you to join us in making the Visions Academy School for the Deaf an exceptional place for deaf youth and others to learn, lead healthy lives, and realize their full potential!

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For the 2025-2026 academic school year, we intend to serve up to 80 youth at our Visions Academy School for the Deaf from Kindergarten – Grade 5. We plan to continue adding one or two grades annually until eventually reaching Grade 12 and serving approximately 300 students, though for now our focus is on providing the best quality education and support to the earlier grades, knowing how critical these first few years are to their overall development.

Project Goals:

✓ To bring Deaf children into formal education and provide them with critical early education support

✓ To develop literacy and a general foundation for learning for Deaf early learners

✓ To promote the learning and use of formal Ethiopian Sign Language amongst Deaf children, as well as the community around them, including parents and family members

✓ To provide a safe, engaging, and high-quality learning environment for students who are Deaf

✓ To boost the self-confidence and self-worth of Deaf children

✓ To help reduce the economic burden and mental / emotional stress of parents and other caretakers of Deaf children

✓ To develop the professional skills, language abilities, and quality of instruction of teachers of Deaf children