Meet the two deaf Solomon Islanders teaching local sign language in a new book

Excerpt and featured photo from abc.net.au

Lilly Simon and Jonathan Bia face daily challenges in the Solomon Islands as people who are deaf — often ignored, misunderstood or made fun of.

To help change this, they’ve created Going to the Market, a new children’s book written in Solomon Islands Sign Language, English, and Pijin.

It’s a project that shares the local signs for Island staples like taro and cassava and also aims to raise funds for Deaf athletes from Solomon Islands to attend the 2026 Australian Deaf Games.

They said growing up deaf in Solomon Islands had its challenges, where discrimination and lack of understanding often led to isolation and mental health struggles.

“Lots of people here in the Solomon Islands do not understand about deafness and a Deaf person’s life,” Lilly told Stories from the Pacific.

“Deaf people are called stupid or dumb and people laugh at us or ridicule us for the way we sign.

“It can create more problems with mental health, like feelings of shame and anxiety, feeling sad, especially if family support is far away.

“Deaf people can question their deaf identity, feel ashamed because hearing people don’t respect them.”