Page 4 - Mainstreamer e-Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3 - August 2023

GROUND TO COVER
My Friend is Deaf: Accessibility Issues

Fritz Enjhay
Cepe

arriers to the education of the deaf here the instruction of deaf learners, and two laws, i.e.,
are interrelated and complicated. The a Basic Education law (K–12), and an Early Years
Baccessibility law is only for built Act (0–8 yrs) for daycare education, mandating
environments and does not cover information the specific use of FSL. There are only a handful of
and communication. There is no national system deaf Filipinos with master’s degrees in the last few
for sign language interpreting. Sign language years and they are all employed in private colleges.
instruction and interpreter training programmes –Excerpts from Submission from Civil Society to
are done by only a handful of nonprofit the CRPD Committee for comments on the Draft
organisations with no government regulation. General Comment No. 4 Inclusive Education by the
Teachers act as interpreters in classrooms and are Deaf Education Council (Philippines).
also pulled away from their duties to interpret in ‘Haze’ was born deaf and has a sister who is also
trial courts, police stations, and so on. Teacher deaf. Her parents and brother died in an accident
education programmes have no sign language on 11 September 2001. Haze considers herself and
instruction and public-school teachers are typically her sister lucky because their parents tried their
hired with zero signing skills or given a crash course best to give them a good education. But being deaf
on preservice training for a few weeks and possibly makes it more difficult to obtain an education than
(if at all) an annual in-service training or ‘upgrading’ most people imagine. Despite having responsible
of signing skills. Whether public or private, colleges parents, Haze and her sister were struggling to
or universities typically do not shoulder expenses get an education with the lack of deaf schools
for sign language interpreting. A few private available in the area. They were forced to enrol in
colleges have teacher education programmes for regular schools whose system did not match their
deaf students, but very few graduates can hurdle educational needs—from the school’s curriculum
the government licensure exam to teach in public to the teacher who does not sign or does not know
schools. Most graduates wind up teaching in how to sign. This is the reality for Haze and her
private schools or finding other ways to make a sister, as well as hundreds of thousands of deaf
living. Deaf organisations have initiated research people throughout the Philippines. In education,
and documentation on sign linguistics with no overt discrimination is also frequent. One deaf
state backing. Despite annual government budget woman hoped to learn to drive a car in October
provisions for educational materials for deaf and 2020. She contacted a driving school in Tanza,
other children with disabilities, very little, if any, Cavite, via Facebook. This is their actual reply to
has ever been produced. her:
In the last session of Congress, the Department ‘Gud pm po, ma’am sorry for the late update
of Education outright opposed the recognition of a po kasi ask pa po namin sa regional office ng
national sign language, i.e., Filipino Sign Language LTO kung pwede po yung deaf sa driving…
(FSL), as advocated by the deaf community. sabi po ng LTO ma’am hindi daw po allowed
This, despite having in the Department of sa ngayon yung deaf po sa driving po
Education policy, including Mother Tongue-Based ma’am… sorry po. For the late update.’ – LTO
Multilingual Education policy for all other Filipino Personnel
children, the provision that FSL shall be used in

3 3 Vol. 01, Issue 3 | August 2022