15592 Malian Sign Language "Without clearly established language boundaries it is hard to give an estimate of the number of signers of LaSiMa. Hard figures on the number of deaf Malians are not available either. Evaluating several studies done on deafness in West Africa, McPherson and Swart (1997) conclude that the prevalence of severe/profound bilateral hearing loss in West Africa is about three to four times the prevalence rate in industrialized nations. If profound deafness is between 0.3%% and 0.5%% in Mali as well, this would mean the number of deaf Malians is estimated between 40,000 and 65,000. To what extent these deaf signers use the same sign language is a question for further research." West African Sign Languages (Personal Communication) Off