First Sign Language Degrees in Cuba

The first Latin American graduates in Sign Language are proudly showing off their degrees today after completing their studies at the emblematic University of Havana.

This first graduating class includes 11 Cubans who began studying for their degrees in 2004 in workers' courses, which require extra effort and a lot more motivation.

That year, the almost 300-year-old university added that degree program, a decade after the Cuban school system officially recognized sign language in its special education schools.

The most outstanding graduate, Heisel Perez, stressed the privilege of having an education system that provides the tools to facilitate the integration of people with a hearing impediment.

According to the president of Cuba’s National Association of the Deaf, Alejandro Marzo, the graduation is an achievement for the 23,000 members of that organization.

"They recognize the work of professionals in order to strengthen and preserve sign language," Marzo said.

More than Two Thousands Graduates in University of Havana

The most outstanding graduates of the almost 300-year-old University of Havana were holding their diplomas last Tuesday, satisfied at concluding a complex learning stage and with expectations of entering the working world.

All the graduates received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony in the university's Aula Magna last Monday, representing 2 thousands 98 students who received their degrees in diverse areas of study.

That number includes 1 thousand 35 students who completed their studies in regular daytime courses, 770 in municipal university satellite campuses, 162 in workers' courses, and 131 in long-distance learning.

About 26 foreign scholarship students from 18 countries also graduated from the emblematic university, which has 17 faculties and several research centers.

The University of Havana is located in the Vedado district of Havana, and was founded in 1728, it is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Founded as a religious institution, today the University of Havana has 15 faculties (colleges) at its Havana campus and distance learning centers throughout Cuba.