WATCH: The Flash Drive goes live with 1st-ever visit from sign language interpreter

September is the International Month for Deaf People, to commemorate the first World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf which took place in September 1951.

Radio - a medium of the airwaves - doesn't make listening or interacting inclusive for deaf communities.

But, with the progression and advancements of social media, we can help make radio more inclusive for deaf communities when combined with social media platforms.

That's why Carl thought to end the special month going live with a visual feature on Kfm 94.5's social media with a sign language interpreter, Lesego Modutle.

In case you missed it, here's how it went:

Lesego interpreted parts of Carl's show... 

Carl Wastie speaks to Lesego Modutle, a sign language interpreter.

Lesego also taught Carl some sign language...

Lesego shared some love for The Flash Drive...

And of course, there was a jol and nothing but vibes in the studio...

Lesego also shared some things she wants hearing people to know when interacting with deaf people:

Sign language is a language on its own with its own rules, structure and grammar. There are no variations for English, Afrikaans or Xhosa; it's a language on its own, says Lesego.

For example, there won't be a different way to sign the phrase 'I'm hungry' in English or Afrikaans because sign language is a language on its own.

Deaf communities are diverse with people identifying as Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, and Late-Deafened. 

There are variations in how a person becomes deaf, level of hearing, age of onset, communication methods, and cultural identity which also affects how you refer to (D/d)eaf, verbally.

For example, Deaf with a capital D refers to people who have been deaf all their lives, or since before they started to learn to talk (pre-lingually deaf) but deaf with a lowercase d refers to people who don't always use sign language to communicate because they can also communicate with speech.

Lesego also shares that when communicating with someone from the deaf community, you should:

• Don't have your hand over your mouth or fidget with your lips while speaking - it might affect how they understand what you're saying.
• Annunciate your words but don't speak too slowly.
• If you have a moustache, don't let it grow over your lips because it becomes difficult for lip readers to see what you're saying.
• Have sensitivity around deaf people but don't walk on eggshells.

Here's to doing this a lot more often!

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.