[7][6] The prolonged contact between the French and Tunisian communities makes it hard for researchers to determine which signs are distinctively TSL or borrowed from LSF.
[1] AVST is the oldest organization for the deaf in Tunisia and promotes access to healthcare, education, and employment.
Working with Dr. Amira Yaacoubi, AVST founded a hospital where medical appointments are provided in Tunisian Sign Language.
[9] Manel Bergaoui, a teacher affiliated with AVST, is the first and only person to teach English to deaf/hard of hearing children through Tunisian Sign Language in the entire MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region.
[12] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems produced a video in Tunisian Sign Language on the risks of COVID-19 and preventative measures to keep the deaf population safe from infection.
Other deaf organizations followed suit in sharing the video, and it was broadcast on multiple national television channels.
[14] The earlier hearing impairment is detected in a child, the better care they receive, leading to better language and speech development.
[15][16] At Hospital Charles Nicolle of Tunis, the neonatology department collected data from the hearing screenings of 3,260 newborns.
[clarification needed][15] Another study at Mohamed Tlatli Hospital screened for hearing impairment in 397 infants ranging from 4 days to 5 months old.
[15] In Ras Djebal-Bizerte (Northern Tunisia), 304 children ranging from 4 to 6 years old received hearing screenings for the first time in their lives.
[16] Because of the lack of hearing impairment detection programs, deaf Tunisians' language and written communication skills are very poor.
[1] Furthermore, Tunisia ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on August 6, 1982, and is therefore legally bound to this treaty which states that education for children aged 6 – 16 is mandatory.
Some centers adopt a completely oralist teaching method, meaning the language of instruction is spoken and students are encouraged to improve their speaking skills if possible.
[4] Mona Belhouane, a partly-deaf Tunisian who is a member of Deaf Unity, states, "most [deaf children] didn't manage to reach high school level, due to the lack of adequate measures, the absence of sign language translators and the presence of communication barriers.
[1] This incentive only applies to small to medium-sized businesses, so it is not as effective at increasing the portion of disabled people in the work force.
An official from the Ministry of Social Affairs has acknowledged that disabled people get paid less for the same work their colleagues complete.
[21] The government has opened accounts to provide financial aid to unemployed people with disabilities, with the revenue generated from taxing certain products and postal packages.
To help combat this issue, the Association Voix du Sourd de Tunisie (translated: Voice of the Deaf Association of Tunisia) worked with Dr. Amira Yaacoubi to establish a hospital where medical appointments are provided in Tunisian Sign Language.
[9] In recognition of these barriers to health care, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems produced a video in Tunisian Sign Language on the risks of COVID-19 and preventative measures to keep the deaf population safe from infection.
Other deaf organizations followed suit in sharing the video, and it was broadcast on multiple national television channels.
[5][26] According to Ethnologue, TSL is a deaf community sign, and its language status has been classified as 5 (developing) on the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale.