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Deaf have their Dawn
By Anthony Thanasayan, 26 Sep 2002
Used with permission from Star Publications (M) Berhad
DEAF people the world over have been on high gear all this week observing Dawn 2002 or Deaf Awareness Week.
The week-long celebration - held each year in September - is meant to make people more aware of the needs and struggles of the deaf community.
For the YMCA's Pusat Majudiri Y (PMY) in Kuala Lumpur, this month has been an unusually busy one for its deaf members, volunteers and staff.
The 16th edition of Dawn - held from Sept 8 to 15 - featured talks and public exhibitions on the deaf and deafness.
"The large group of the public and the deaf that turned up on Open Day on the 15th had the chance to learn more about e-learning and the latest communication devices for the deaf," said Steevan Eng Tian Kuan from Friends of the Deaf - a club set up for students of sign language at the YMCA.
"Such exposure opportunities for hearing persons like myself help remind us of the need to ensure that those living in the 'silent world' divide are not inadvertently left out," he pointed out.
Eng had the incredible task of being the interpreter for as many as five financial planners for the Dawn event. The task required him to spend hours privately researching the subject before he could effectively sign them out to the deaf.
He said he had to explain complex concepts and terms to the deaf, like "long-term investment", "cash-flow", "sustainable income" etc. And although it was a struggle at first, Eng began to get better at it through practice.
"Using simpler ways to explain technical terms to the deaf turned out to be the most effective method at the end of the day," he said.
But above all, Eng came away that evening with a new realisation that deaf persons were also concerned about plans for their future - as much as the non-deaf.
"However, in the case of deaf persons, they have fewer opportunities to make known their intentions to others," he added.
Deaf's views
One of the major highlights of the Dawn events was a Deaf World simulation exercise that helped the public to literally enter the silent world of the deaf where sounds were reduced or muted to create a mock "deaf environment" with little or no sounds.
"I never realised how very important it was to change the (present) environment of my home to suit the needs of my deaf nine-year old (such as replacing ringing alarm clocks for vibrating ones) until I entered the special deaf mock room," said Fong, a working mother.
Others like Sakunthala, a first time volunteer for the deaf observed: "The simulation experience impressed upon me how helpful it was for the deaf to have closed captions included in the TV screen as subtitles, especially for long movies in which the silence on the TV set can be deafening."
"Signing the right way is crucial," said Cho M.L., a sign language student at the PMY.
"All it takes is a slight mistake on our part to have damaging effects on the deaf, more so in legal matters when the deaf are in court. The deaf, on their part, are always willing to teach us. But the question is: are we willing to learn from them?"
PMY volunteer Zuhrah Beevi said he can vouch that the deaf are "incredibly honest and non-judgmental" in most things that they do. "So much so that it puts people like me, who are of full hearing, to shame," he said.
"The simulation exercise is designed to provide hearing persons with a first-hand idea of what it feels like to be profoundly deaf in a hearing world," said PMY programme executive Ho Koon Wei who is herself deaf.
"People should understand that we deaf people have our own culture and language that are unique from the hearing.
"We want people to approach us - not shy away or try to avoid us as if we are some sort of plague. We are always willing to share our knowledge in order to help the hearing world better understand us and be in tune with our needs."
This year's theme for Dawn was Deaf in a Connected World. The public got to explore the numerous communication and technological devices that have been designed to help bridge the divide between the deaf and the hearing community.
The public were also invited to participate in a Sign Language Corner where they were taught simple signs, quizzes on deafness and an opportunity to try out the latest hearing aids.
They also witnessed the situation in a mock home of a deaf family, where alarm clocks, doorbells with flashing lights and games using gestures were used.
As many as 140 hearing persons in all took part in the programmes facilitated by 25 deaf members. The deaf showed a keen interest to learn about the latest improvements of services for the deaf in the fields of insurance to telephone communications.
PMY says this year also saw an increased number of volunteers - a total of 60 persons that included the hearing as well the deaf.
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