DEAF INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY
Making Information, Skills and Opportunities More Accessible
Dar Al Maghreb works with Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities to reduce barriers to information, communication, learning and participation. Our work combines Moroccan Sign Language, accessible digital resources, digital safety and capacity building to develop practical responses to the needs identified within Deaf communities.
IN ACTION
Deaf inclusion in the community
A short look at Dar Al Maghreb’s work with Deaf communities.
WHY THIS WORK STARTED
Our Work Begins With Community Needs
Our work on Deaf inclusion grew from the active participation of Deaf members within Dar Al Maghreb. Their experiences helped us identify a fundamental gap: limited access to information and learning resources in Moroccan Sign Language.
Rather than simply identifying the problem, we began developing practical tools that could make information more accessible and usable for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. This approach led to the creation and development of Linatwassal.
A community-identified need became the starting point for practical action.
FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE
Linatwassal — Let’s Communicate
Making Information Accessible in Moroccan Sign Language
Linatwassal was created in response to the limited availability of accessible Moroccan Sign Language resources. Dar Al Maghreb developed a digital resource to make information and learning more accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
The initiative developed into a growing digital Moroccan Sign Language dictionary, accompanied by visual videos and audio in Moroccan Darija to facilitate learning for people with limited reading literacy.
The resource also supports learning and awareness beyond sign language itself, including terminology in French, English and official Amazigh, while addressing issues relevant to Deaf people’s lives such as digital safety, civic participation and the rights of Deaf people.
Visual + Audio
Accessible learning content.
Multilingual Support
Darija, French, English and Amazigh learning support.
Community-led
Developed in response to accessibility needs identified within Deaf communities.
THE NEXT NEED
When More of Life Moved Online, New Risks Emerged
During the COVID-19 pandemic, education, work, communication and access to information increasingly moved online. For Deaf communities, this shift created new challenges while accessible information about digital safety remained limited.
Recognizing this emerging need, Dar Al Maghreb expanded its work from communication accessibility to digital safety, adapting resources and awareness efforts to the realities of Deaf users.
COVID-19 → More activities move online → New digital risks → Accessibility gap → Digital-safety response
DIGITAL SAFETY LEXICON
Building Digital Safety Resources in Moroccan Sign Language
Through collaboration with partners across six MENA countries and with support from the SecDev Foundation, Dar Al Maghreb contributed to the development of digital-safety resources adapted to the needs of Deaf communities.
This work extended the Linatwassal resource into a specialized digital-safety lexicon, making key concepts related to online risks, cybersecurity and safer digital practices more accessible in Moroccan Sign Language.
From digital risks and online protection to practical safety concepts, the lexicon helps make digital-safety information easier to understand and use.
LINATWASSAL BIMANANE
Strengthening Digital Access and Safety for Civil Society
Through the “Linatwassal Bimanane” initiative, Dar Al Maghreb worked to strengthen the ability of organizations serving Deaf communities to access and use digital tools safely.
In collaboration with the Ministry Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Relations with Parliament, we delivered capacity-building activities on digital accessibility and safer digital practices for civil-society organizations.
The initiative also included the development of a digital-safety lexicon and awareness campaign, extending our accessible digital-safety work beyond individual users to civil-society actors.
Featured resource: “Linatwassal Bimanane: Fundamentals of Digital Safety for Deaf Associations and Protection of Personal Data.”
FROM RESOURCES TO CAPACITY BUILDING
From Accessible Resources to Practical Skills
Accessible resources are most valuable when people can use them confidently in their everyday lives. Dar Al Maghreb therefore combines resource development with capacity building, awareness and practical learning.
Deaf Women & Girls
Digital safety, rights, gender equality and online gender-based violence prevention and response.
Educators & Interpreters
Accessible communication, learning resources and digital-safety knowledge.
Civil Society Organizations
Accessibility, digital safety and more effective communication with Deaf communities.
FEMMES DIGITALES ET SOLIDAIRES
Empowering Deaf Women and Girls
Through Femmes Digitales et Solidaires, Dar Al Maghreb strengthened the capacity of Deaf women and girls in M’rirt and Meknes around digital safety, rights and gender equality.
The initiative combined accessible training with awareness on online risks and gender-based violence, helping participants strengthen their knowledge and confidence to navigate digital spaces more safely.
29
Deaf women reached.
22
Educators & interpreters engaged.
AMAZIGH SIGN LANGUAGE
Exploring and Developing Moroccan Amazigh Sign Language
In partnership with the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), Dar Al Maghreb organized a workshop focused on exploring and contributing to the development of Moroccan Amazigh Sign Language.
The initiative aimed to strengthen access to communication and participation for Deaf people, while supporting the development of an Amazigh sign-language resource. The activity was also carried out in collaboration with the Guidance and Support Center for Persons with Disabilities under the National Cooperation.
Connecting Deaf inclusion, Amazigh language and cultural accessibility.
WHAT WE DO TODAY
Accessible, practical and community-led.
Accessible Resources
Moroccan Sign Language and accessible learning content.
Digital Safety
Adapted awareness, resources and safer digital practices.
Capacity Building
Practical learning for community members, educators and organizations.
Rights & Participation
Supporting knowledge, confidence and participation in community life.
Community-led
Work shaped by needs identified with Deaf communities.