Samy Gamil

Samy Gameel is integrating the deaf and hearing impaired into Egyptian society by equipping them with the tools and training necessary to become competitive in the IT sector. Samy works with educators, employers, government ministries, citizen organizations (COs), and others to ensure the deaf and hearing impaired have a range of professional opportunities free of discrimination and prejudice. His work not only changes public perceptions of those with disabilities, but builds the confidence the deaf and hearing impaired have in themselves.

Samy is improving the social and economic status of the deaf and hearing impaired community in Egypt to further incorporate them into the fabric of society. He provides them with the services, facilities, and tools necessary to become active, competitive contributors to the highly regarded field of IT. Samy is fostering respect and recognition for the deaf among the community at large, as well as helping the deaf build a stronger sense of self assurance.
Samy has developed a multifaceted approach to achieve his objective. First, he has created an IT education program for the deaf, featuring materials and literature translated to sign language. He provides training in computer skills, such as programming, and develops IT courses and curricula. He also trains IT teachers to work with the deaf and has effectively created a training of trainers program to enable the growth of this group of educators.
Another aspect of Samy's approach is the development of IT literature and programs in sign language. For the first time in Egypt, these materials are being translated for the deaf and hearing impaired: An innovative step that expands their access to this important sector. Samy also works to ensure job placement for deaf individuals who have been trained in IT, making them competitive members of the labor market.
Finally, in an effort to institutionalize and replicate his model and idea, Samy is engaging several government ministries, official education centers, training institutions and COs in various aspects of his program, encouraging them to support the integration of the deaf in mainstream IT and technology education. His program will allow all organizations, which are required by law to employ 5 percent of people with disabilities, to hire highly skilled deaf people who can contribute to any IT group.

An estimated two and a half million Egyptians are deaf, and as a result, suffer considerable marginalization. Negative stigmas surrounding the hearing impaired are widespread in Egypt, resulting in many harmful repercussions including limited access to mediocre levels of general education. The educational system offered through compulsory primary and preparatory education lacks specialized programs, as teachers are not trained in sign language, speech therapy, or how to effectively work with special needs children. Even so-called special education schools are ill-equipped to meet the particular needs of this population. 
The perceptions of teachers and parents in Egypt are also deeply flawed, by interpreting the academic challenges faced by deaf students as a reflection of low intelligence and the inherent inability to learn. Because of this misperception and the law’s prohibition to allow the deaf to pursue a university education, most schools for the deaf and mute focus on teaching vocational skills, such as carpentry, construction, or sewing, as opposed to encouraging students’ intellectual development through traditional academic subjects. As a result, the deaf community suffers from poor academic performance and high rates of drop-out and illiteracy, the latter of which poses a particularly strong challenge, as it prevents many deaf individuals from entering the labor market, and thus excludes them from mainstream society. It also reinforces the negative stereotype of the hearing impaired being mentally challenged.
The situation for specialized IT and technological training for the deaf is also sorely lacking because of the unfair assumption that the field is too complex and unattainable for special needs groups. There is no computer literature for the deaf published in sign language, and there are no trained personnel who can teach computer technology in a way that is sensitive to the special needs of the deaf.
The government does not work to help resolve the struggles this community faces in Egypt, but rather neglects the disabled in its legislation altogether, showing a general lack of sensitivity to their needs, a lack of knowledge, and reluctance to address the challenges faced by the deaf community. Given this context, it is no surprise that negative misconceptions about the deaf prevail in Egyptian society, leading to detrimental cultural and social repercussions for a group that lacks an organized culture and has a limited initial sense of community and solidarity.
A number of civil society associations have been established in recent years to work with the deaf and hearing impaired, such as the Nardine Association and the National Association for the Deaf. There have also been remarkable efforts in tackling the problems of the deaf community undertaken by individuals such as Tamer Bahaa, and Omima Al-Hadeedy. However, these efforts are more focused on speech therapy, health care, and literacy. In 2003 a civil society organization called Resala cooperated with Vodafone Egypt to establish an IT lab for the deaf, the project taught only a limited number of people and did not include a training of trainers component, which would ensure the presence and spread of professionals able to teach this subject to the deaf. To date, they too use the printed material and literature created by Samy.

In 2000, Samy established Asdaa’ Association for the Hearing Impaired, with the aim of adopt and implement a holistic approach to empower the deaf and deconstruct society’s stereotypes. Through his organization, he works to address the problem of insufficient IT materials by spearheading an ambitious initiative to translate IT programs, software, and literature into sign language. Samy is also currently working with Microsoft Egypt to develop training materials for Microsoft programs printed in sign language, and Microsoft has agreed to supply deaf-oriented training materials for advanced, internationally recognized programs as well. He is also negotiating with Oracle, an international leader in software, to develop training materials in sign language for more ordinary programs as well as programs that are technically advanced and internationally recognized. Samy plans to translate professional programs, such as Visual Basic, C++, and website applications and interfaces, so that the deaf are able to learn advanced IT skills and obtain employment in specialized positions in the IT field.
Additionally, Samy will develop a comprehensive computer education program whose primary goal is to train the deaf in computer and IT skills, qualifying them to effectively enter the labor market and hold jobs that require a high level of computer skills. His book, The Computer…What is it?, was the first about IT topics to be published in Egypt and the Arab world for the deaf population, and still serves as trailblazer in IT literature targeted to the deaf. Using it, he trained individuals in IT topics and succeeded in placing many in very lucrative and competitive jobs. To date, Samy has organized a total of 72 training courses on different computer topics, focusing on programs and interfaces including Microsoft Office, Windows, Harvard Graphics and Visual Basics, and PC games, as well as computer hardware.
His immediate plan to create more jobs is to continue working with the government to institutionalize his training and employment program for the deaf. His strategy with various national ministries is to enforce and operationalize the law requiring the hiring of 5 percent of the labor force from the disabled so that they hire Asdaa deaf trainees after he equips them with competitive skills. Samy has made arrangements with the Ministry of Communication to have access to its information centers throughout Egypt to replicate his model in other governorates. Samy continues to encourage the Egyptian Ministry of Defense to expand its training centers and serve the deaf community, as the services offered by these centers are of high quality and low-cost.
In addition to having an increased opportunity improve the image of the deaf in society and build their self- confidence, Samy helped 60 of his graduates enter a national IT competition organized by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, where 15 achieved remarkable results. Samy intends to continue this program every year as it serves as a demonstration of their potential. A number of his trainees formed their own groups in the Cairo governorate and he is training and preparing them to enter the annual IT competition. Samy oversees and counsels the groups and supports their work on a regular basis.
Samy’s work has implications locally, regionally, and internationally. In Egypt, he has used his membership in the Egyptian Federation for Organizations Working with Disabilities to his advantage, encouraging the Federation to establish a partnership with the Ministry of Communication that aims to qualify trainers from different governorates to teach the deaf using his IT literature. Regionally, Samy registered his CO as a member of the Arab Union for Associations Working with the Disabled, which has allowed him to develop relationships and exchange ideas with associations for the deaf in Syria, Lebanon, the Gulf region, and North Africa, many of which have the capacity to contribute to the financial sustainability of his programs. Internationally, Samy has registered Asdaa’ as a member of the International Union for Associations working with the Deaf and also maintains strong contacts with similar associations in Uganda and Sweden.

Samy is the third of five children and was born with hearing impairment in his left ear. He comes from a family that is very open, tolerant, and values hard work and respect for others, regardless of religion, color, gender, or disability. Samy’s father worked as a trader in clothing and through his extensive interaction with diverse people he fostered a great appreciation for continued education. Samy’s mother, who was deaf, studied sign language, French, and Greek in Al-Amal Association for the Deaf, the first deaf school in Alexandria. Through his close relationship with his mother, Samy developed a strong attachment to the deaf community, their language, culture, and way of life. These values have stayed with Samy throughout his life and are apparent in his work today.
In 1984 Samy graduated from Alexandria University with a major in agriculture. He was a gifted student, but given his impairment and his mother’s attitude towards his achievements, he grew up to be very shy and socially isolated. Being deaf, his mother's expectations were shaped by society’s view of the hearing impared, and were quite low. 
In 1988 Samy began volunteering with the Brotherly Alliance Association for Deaf and Mute in Alexandria, where he was shocked to learn how they are marginalized and undermined. Knowing that deafness was genetic in his family, he feared for his future children and decided that he did not want them to suffer a similar fate of isolation and disrespect. He decided that he had to do something to improve the opportunities that awaited them. From that point forward, he dedicated his life to empowering the deaf and improving society’s image of them by offering them the tools and opportunities that would both demonstrate their potential and show that they are equal members of society.