Three things from the Filipino Sign Language Week hosted by the Innovation Management and Business Association of ASMPH:
- The international definition of ‘deafness’ was formulated by a non-deaf person. Imagine how many policies were created from that.
- The deaf community prefers ‘deaf person’ to ‘hearing impaired’, because they believe it’s more important to focus on the entirety of the person instead of any perceived impairments.
- There is a lot more to do to make this world more inclusive. They struggle against social exclusion even from the medical community.
Fortunately, there are many avenues where we can all join in the cause. We can be true allies by interacting with deaf persons, whether it’s through sign language, their writing or art, and by communicating for them when more voices are needed.
Here are some of the highlights from the FSL week which I helped host last
Artisan Ice Cream from Elait
For the entire week, we invited the shop Elait to be a concessionaire at school. The artisan ice cream (yogurt or custard-based) were all hand rolled by their deaf partners.
I personally think it’s a testament to how inclusive enterprises and good business can be complementary. (That’s blueberry ice cream in the photo by the way.)
About Deaf Culture by DLSU-CSB SDEAS
The School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies under De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde is a gift. They provide free seminars and workshops on deaf awareness and Filipino sign language.
I honestly wish more people attended. It was one of the most fun learning experiences I’ve had in a while. Plus, I now have a ‘sign language name’! Ask me about it.
‘Dinig Sana Kita’ Film Screening
There’s a pitiful amount of movies featuring deaf people in the Philippines. Even rarer are movies which are sensitive, complex and fun to watch. We invited Director Mike Sandejas over to Chung Te to share his film.
Rest assured, the reviews all around were excellent!
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Maybe I don’t have a lot of time on my hands, and yet somehow I still found the time to stage this series with Jean. I guess it’s always fun when it’s for a worthy cause.
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jari m 