Breaking the sound barrier

"WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HEAR, but we are not dumb."

Certainly not Archie and Christine, both 21 and students at a unique school program that seeks to go past preconceived notions of disability.

The School of Deaf Educa-tion and Applied Studies (SDEAS) at De la Salle-College of St. Benilde (DLS-CSB) asserts that it is time for people to see deafness not as a disability but a gift caught up in misconceptions.

To begin with, the word deaf is spelled with a "big D," says Eric Daniel Soriano, OIC-Dean of SDEAS. "This recognizes their unique language and culture."

Archie and Christine have no problem breaking the sound barrier during the interview with STARweek one Friday afternoon with Nicky Perez, a teacher and coordinator for student activities at SDEAS, as interpreter.

Archieval Bumanglag, a third year business entrepreneurship student, acknowledges the opportunities SDEAS has given him, and he doesn’t mind the long commute from Concepcion in Caloocan where he lives. It would be easier if he lived in a dorm, he says, but quickly signs: "Kaso baka tamarin mag-aral (But I might get lazy to study)."

Christine Ella Castañeda, a fifth year student whose specialization is multimedia arts, used to question why she was born Deaf. Unlike Archie, who says his family has a history of deafness, Christine signs with a frown that she is the only one in her family who is Deaf.

"I have a lot of friends who are hearing and I used to feel hurt whenever I couldn’t express myself," shares Christine. "I would ask my mom why I was deaf and she’ll explain to me that I was born this way. I would insist that she change me to be hearing. But later on when I attended college, I realized it was a gift and I accepted it. Now, I know more of myself and I am sure of my identity."

Among the school’s 124 students, Archie and Christine embody the kind of scholars SDEAS has.

"Both are good students...very hardworking and very responsible. Both are scholars under the Catholic Ministry for Deaf People, which provides them with allowance and in return they provide service to churches," Nicky explains.

SDEAS offers a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Deaf Studies (BAPDST) with two tracks or concentrations, multimedia arts or business entrepreneurship.

Nearly 200 Deaf students have graduated from DLS-CSB since 1991 when the program was still known as the School of Special Studies. About 98 percent of the current SDEAS students are scholars.

SDEAS however is more than just educating the Deaf. The school has a career placement program that orients potential employers or institutions partnering with it about the program’s essence, especially "the uniqueness of the person that they are thinking of hiring," says Soriano. "Based on experience, the thinking is too simplistic (regarding) the deaf," Soriano tells STARweek. "There is a barrier that needs to be addressed and clarified so we present our program, informing them what SDEAS is about and we give them the opportunity to ask questions and raise their concerns. After these have been clarified, we start with the deployment."

Before the barrier can be broken, it is best to get an idea of what makes a difference in the lives of the Deaf.

A term considered passé and Deaf-unfriendly is "hearing impaired".

"Why focus on the negative? This term was popular in the 70s and 80s, but now is used mostly by doctors, audiologists and other people who are mainly interested in our ears ‘not working’," the SDEAS primer clarifies.

Neither are they pipi–the Tagalog term for mute. "Maaaring magsalita ang marami sa amin kung nais namin (Many of us can speak if we want to)." Soriano says that Filipinos who are Deaf understand English better than Tagalog. "Even in text messaging, they understand basic English but not Tagalog."

A common misconception, he notes, is the notion of a "universal sign language".

"There is no universal language. Each country has its own specific sign language," he says. "For instance, the American sign language is very different from the British sign language–even though the oral language is English the sign is completely different in how letters are used and gestured."

Filipino Sign Language or FSL is not new. A recent document, Soriano shares, dates it back even before the Spanish occupation of the Philippines.

"There was Jesuit priest who documented in a history book that even before the Spanish came, there was already an existing natural sign language discovered in Leyte," he says.

From then on, it has evolved with the changing times but still, it is our own FSL. "This was the sign language that developed from the natural experiences of the deaf community," he says.

And FSL is not Tagalog either. "It is not really equivalent to the Filipino oral language," he explains. "It is termed FSL because it developed in the deaf community here but it is not at all linked to Tagalog."

And since sign language is a visual language with "no one-to-one correspondence to the oral language", teachers at SDEAS make full use of visual equipment and materials as effective tools of education.

Of concern for most of the students is their professional life after school. The career placement program for the Deaf in DLS-CSB is only on its third year, but SDEAS uses its network, tie-ups with other institutions and referrals.

"Partnerships before as to the hiring of our Deaf graduates were informal," explains Soriano. "Sometimes, we get walk-ins from companies or other organizations who have read something about SDEAS."

"One of our graphic artists was with Sineskwela of abs-cbn Foundation but after the program ended, since they believe in what the Deaf can do, they themselves make contact and refer work," Soriano cites.

There are other avenues for work as well. Last February, the entry of SDEAS’ business entrepreneurship students won in the Youth Employment SPARK Business Plan Writing Contest, a joint project of the Dutch National Commission for Sustainable Development, Dutch National Youth Council and youth-led organizations from Guyana in South Africa, Turkey and the Philippines. The entry of the Deaf students, who graduated last June, on the setting up of a pizza parlor won for their project seed capital of P300,000.

"They won a bid for a canteen and they will start a franchise. There is one already in The Loop of ABS-CBN," referring to the commercial area within the network complex in Quezon City.

At the recent Corporate Social Responsibility Expo participated in by SDEAS, Soriano says they have received numerous inquiries on the program and met with organizations interested in partnering with them. SDEAS made a presentation to a major shipping company this month.

As more and more Deaf young people equip themselves with the knowledge and skills needed to break down the barriers to achieving fully productive professional lives, the barriers of discrimination and pity can likewise be broken down.