Deaf Awareness Month: South African resources worth knowing about
Deaf Awareness Month gave us a reason to go looking properly.
Written by The Resource Roost Team in September 2026
Not for tokenistic "awareness" resources, but for books, tools and organisations that help children see Deaf people represented, learn about South African Sign Language and understand that communication doesn't look the same for everyone.
We found some brilliant ones. And several of them are completely free.
Start here: Wits Centre for Deaf Studies
The Roots Resources library from the Wits Centre for Deaf Studies brings together free resources for Deaf children, families, teachers and communities, including children's stories, South African Sign Language resources, games, literacy tools and resources exploring Deaf culture.
And rather than recreate resources that have already been developed by people who know this space far better than we do, we'd much rather help more people find them.
Here are a few we'd bookmark first.
Different is Beautiful
A children's story about difference, Deafness and belonging.
Created to encourage empathy and self-awareness, Different is Beautiful follows a young Deaf girl and is supported by SASL and other video versions, plus accompanying activities.
Helpful for: Deaf representation · Understanding differences · Home & classroom
Download ebook
Watch in SASL & Cued English
Watch Storytelling
Watch Story Reading
Watch Signed in English
SASL Dictionary
One we're particularly pleased exists.
336 pages designed to support teachers, friends and families, this beginner-friendly dictionary includes SASL alongside English, isiZulu and Afrikaans.
For South African families and classrooms looking for a starting point, we'd choose this over the endless ASL printables floating around the internet.
Helpful for: Families · Teachers · Learning SASL · Everyday communication
Isipho: The Gift
A Deaf story grounded in a South African context.
Isipho explores childhood deafness within a rural South African setting and touches on some of the realities families can face around identification, access and stigma.
Helpful for: Deaf representation · Empathy · South African stories
Download ebook
Watch in SASL & Cued English
Watch Storytelling
Watch Story Reading
Watch Signed in English
Not all sign language resources are interchangeable.
If you're searching online, particularly on international marketplaces and Pinterest, you'll find plenty of resources teaching American Sign Language (ASL) or British Sign Language (BSL).
In South Africa, our official signed language is South African Sign Language (SASL).
That doesn't make resources from elsewhere inherently bad, but if your intention is to help a child communicate or begin learning the language used by South Africa's Deaf community, check what sign language you're actually being taught.
SASL, not just "sign language", is what we're prioritising in the Roost.
You don't need a lesson plan
Deaf Awareness Month doesn't need to become another project for your family or classroom.
You could simply:
Learn a few everyday SASL signs together.
Read a story with a Deaf character.
Introduce children to Deaf adults and role models.
Check which sign language the resources on your shelf actually teach.
Include hearing aids and different ways of communicating in everyday play.
Awareness can also look like making these things ordinary parts of what children see.
Representation belongs in play, too
Not every moment of representation needs to become a teaching moment.
Sometimes the doll wearing a hearing aid is just the doctor, the astronaut, the parent, or the one being carted around the house in a shoebox.
We wish there were more
We went looking for toys and books featuring Deaf children and hearing devices, expecting to find plenty to add to this list.
We didn't.
There are some lovely exceptions, including the Barbie and Miniland dolls already in the Roost, but finding Deaf representation in everyday children's products available in South Africa is surprisingly difficult.
We'll keep looking.
Because representation doesn't always need to come with a lesson attached. Sometimes a child should simply be able to pick up a doll that wears a hearing aid, or open a story where a Deaf child gets to have an adventure that isn't entirely about being Deaf.
That last thought is the bit that gets us.
A Deaf child shouldn't only appear on the bookshelf when we're teaching hearing children about Deafness.
About our awareness-month guides
We use awareness months as a reason to look more closely at the Roost: what's missing, what deserves to be easier to find, and which brilliant resources already exist elsewhere that more families, teachers and therapists should know about.
We don't create resources just for the sake of having something to post.
Prices & availability: We check every recommendation by hand, but prices and stock can change after a guide is published. If you notice something we've missed, please let us know.
