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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Sera Sefeti and Agnes Herbert in Saama

Left out of society: Vanuatu’s deaf community push for national sign language

Nelly Bob Daniel, left, and Tasale Edward Bule sit together outdoors
Tasale Edward Bule, pictured with his wife, Nelly Bob Daniel, lost his hearing at the age of 14 and is mostly reliant on lip-reading to communicate. Photograph: Agnes Herbert/The Guardian

Tasale Edward Bule, a 45-year-old fisher from Vanuatu’s Efate island, remembers the day the world went silent.

“I woke up one morning and remember not hearing the birds sing, or the rooster crowing,” Bule says.

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