Person With Disabilities Day (PWD)

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10 years

"We, Thought many, are on body in Christ." (Rom 12: 4-5)

On top of the heap

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On top of the heap
By INA HERNANDO-MALIPOT
November 8, 2009, 1:15pm

Many people had been awed upon hearing that a deaf girl graduated magna
cum laude. But that sense of awe quickly turned to inspiration when that
same girl delivered a memorable commencement speech in behalf of her
class using merely her hands – and her heart.

Last week, 23-year-old Ana Kristina Arce was all over the news for being
the first deaf student to graduate magna cum laude from the De La Salle-
College of Saint Benilde School. Ana also received the Community Service
award for volunteering to serve in various school programs, as well as
for being the the president of the Benildean Deaf Association, the DLS-
CSB student council, the Lasallian Ministry Program for the Deaf, and
the Summer of Service Program. Ana was also one of the four student
ambassadors in the Summer Leadership Institute in PEN-International,
participated in the 12th Deaf Festival, Immaculate Conception Parish for
outreach program, relief operations for typhoon Ondoy victims and For-
the-Kids mini olympics.

GROWING UP

Ana was born deaf after her mother Vilma was infected by the rubella
virus during her pregnancy. But losing baby Ana was not an option. Vilma
pushed through with the pregnancy and gave birth to Ana on October 27,
1986.

Seemingly a normal baby at first because she could react to noises, Ana
soon showed signs of deafness when she turned 11 months old.

At the age of two, Ana was enrolled at the Maria Lena Buhay Foundation,
an oral school, where she learned to speak and read lips.

“I learned sign language at age seven and it was easy for me to adjust
to communicate in sign language,” she says.

Being active in the deaf community, her sense of belonging made coping a
lot easier. It also helps that a lot of modern forms of communication
have become available “I can communicate with hearing people using
written communication, e-mail communication, SMS or text,” she says.

Also making things a lot easy for her is a sign language interpreter who
is helpful during interviews, seminars, classes, conferences and Mass.
All these make Ana feel no different at all!

MAKING THE BEST OUT OF SCHOOLING

For most people who are differently-abled, studying poses a major
problem and a lot of adjustments in many aspects have to be made. But
for Ana, schooling was bliss. “My parents were always supportive of me
especially with my going to school,” she says.

Looking for a school that would suit Ana’s needs was also something
that needed careful consideration. Her parents enrolled her both in
special and regular schools such as the Philippine Institute for the
Deaf, Philippine Normal University, and UP South to check if any of
these would be ideal for her. Unfortunately, adjustment at these said
schools did not come easy. Her parents then enlisted her at the
Philippine School for the Deaf where sign language is used as the medium
of communication through high school. In her senior year, Ana was
transferred to a private school for the deaf where she finished with
academic honors.

Still, Ana believed there were so much to be accomplished. “Even if I
am deaf, I did not consider deafness as an obstacle to pursuing my dream
of going to college and maybe a master’s degree,” she says.

As a child, Ana always wanted to be a painter. Her inclination towards
the arts pushed her to take up Bachelor in Applied Deaf Studies course
with specialization in Multimedia Arts in DLS-CSB. “I wanted to know
how I could do my best as a deaf person while pursuing my special skills
in multimedia arts,” she says.

She went to the right school indeed as DLS-CSB has a diverse group of
people who made her feel welcome. The School of Deaf Education and
Applied Studies or SDEAS, a department exclusively for deaf students
where the Filipino sign language (FSL) is used as a medium of
communication, also helped Ana in her adjustment,

It also helped that at CSB, the hearing student population is encouraged
to learn sign language through the Filipino Sign Language program. The
program urges hearing students get a deaf buddy especially in extra-
curricular activities to get to know deaf students better.

BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR THE DEAF

Ana says that despite the increasing awareness on people with special
needs, misconceptions about the deaf remains.

For instance the use of the terms “hearing impairment” and “deaf mute
” when referring to them is offensive, she says, because that term
means deaf people’s ears are impaired but they are actually not. “Most
people call us deaf mute but we are not mute. We are simply deaf and can
’t talk because we do not hear what other people say. We are not mute
because our tongues are normal.’’

Ana dreams of writing a book about the aspirations of the deaf. She
implores parents who have deaf kids not to force them to undergo
cochlear implants. “Most of the hearing parents want their deaf
children to learn how to speak so some of them make them wear a cochlear
implant although it’s not always successful. But if kids wear this,
they can’t just participate in physical activities like basketball,
swimming in deep level, and others,’’ she explains.

The best medium of communication, she believes, is still sign language.

Ana also hopes that in the future, hearing teachers of the deaf would
become aware of natural sign language especially in public and private
primary and secondary schools. “Filipino Sign Language should be
promoted as the primary means of communication for the deaf community. I
’m sure deaf children will learn their lessons fast if they use this as
the medium of communication just like me,” she ends.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/228513/on-top-heap


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Institute of Developing Economies, JETRO
Inter-disciplinary Studies Center
Poverty Alleviation and Social Development Studies Group
Deputy Director & Professor (IDEAS)
Senior Research Fellow
MORI, Soya
3-2-2, Wakaba, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi,261-8545
Chiba, Japan
E-mail: soya_mori@ide.go.jp
Homepage: http://www.ide.go.jp/
Fax: 0+81-43-299-9548
*********************************************************

Rizal is my president

Photo by Nadine Calagos (Deaf Student)

Rizal is teaching the youth people to be good value and leader for our country.

Next year is coming soon, there will be new president 2010, the most people are still undecide whom they want to vote for run president, they still look for the president who is honest, trust and love our country.I feel the same, i still think whom i like to vote. Rizal is my president was showing me and touched my heart, i was thinking and looking at our country right now, there is a lot of youth people, they true know the good value and leader but they dont do because they might think hard to do for our country, some of them are good to do but, the most they do good value and leader for themself not for others and our country.

I hope the people (run for presidents) not forget Jose Rizal what he done for us was freedom, he fought for our love country. I also hope the youth people know good value and leader then they do for others with their true heart.

Written by Jerene Justiniano (Deaf Student)

Espesyalista 2009: A Quiz Bee for Deaf Students

Photo by: Jesus Morales

Last October 24, 2009, the UP Special Education Council (UPSEC) in partnership with SDEAS hosted “Espesyalista 2009: A Quiz Bee for Deaf Students”

Seven elementary schools from Metro Manila and neighboring provinces joined the competition: Antipolo SPED Center, Batino Elementary School, Bagong Silang Elementary School, Barro Obrero Elementary School, Commonwealth Annex, Gen. M. Hizon Elementary School and Rosa Susano Elementary School.

The program started with a prayer lead by an UPSEC member, Jennifer Pampelona, followed by the Philippine National Anthem, which was lead by SDEAS student, Raphael Domingo. Ms. Maria Veronica Templo-Perez, the Dean of SDEAS, gave the welcome remarks. The audience watched in amazement as Silent Steps presented a special number entitled “I Have a Dream”.

As Dean Perez had said in her welcome remarks, it was an opportunity for the SDEAS students to look back at their humble beginnings and remember that they too were once elementary students. For the contestants, it was opportunity to see that there is life even after they graduate from high school and hopefully the thought of going to College would motivate them to study hard and achieve their dreams.

The quiz bee proper was composed of questions from the different subject areas ranging from easy to difficult. After a close fight, Commonwealth Annex emerged as the winner followed by Rosa Susano Elementary School in second place and Bagong Silang Elementary School in third place.

Espesyalista was a venue where elementary Deaf students showed their academic competence. It promoted the use of sign language in Deaf education and empowered the Deaf students, giving them a sense of confidence and a learning experience. But most importantly, it upheld the advocacy that it is the ability and not the disability that matters.

Written by: Bea Francisco

Lessons from Riku Virtanen

ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION:
Lessons from Riku Virtanen

Accessibility and Inclusion: Lessons from Riku Virtanen
Reports by Ana Kristina Arce and Romeo Catap, Jr.

Finnish human rights lawyer and activist Riku-Heikki “Riku” Virtanen visited the College last June 30, 2009 to give on accessibility and inclusion talk to DLS-CSB administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as students from the Philippine School for the Deaf. Hard of hearing and blind, Virtanen, with assistance from his two Finnish interpreters, shared his thesis work on “Right to work—about reasonable accommodation and about equality between disabled entrepreneurs and disabled workers.”

The Making of a Deafblind Lawyer
Virtanen was born deaf and blind, but not fully impaired. Regardless of his condition, Virtanen’s parents did their best to raise him.
His father communicates using his voice and occasionally uses finger spelling. By age 16, Virtanen started to wear cochlear implants. He has later on benefited from Finnish interpreters, who provided him assistance in contact signing and voice interpreting.
He pursued schooling. But upon reaching secondary school, he was only offered to pursue a vocational or livelihood program although he could use a computer and communicate in Swedish and Finnish through contact signing interpreters.
It was because of such a negative attitude towards disabled people that made him decide to break expectations, strive to study academic courses, and pursue a law degree.
At age 21, he entered the University of Turku. The university allowed him access to assistance services, including interpreters, during standard examinations and computer laboratory classes. The university even extended his school hours.
He admits, however, that he was able to accomplish so much because the Finnish government has firm policies that supported education for disabled people. Not only did Virtanen get his education for free, buildings and transportation in Finland are also accessible for People with Disabilities (PWD’s).
Virtanen has since graduated from the University of Turku with a Masters of Law degree and is planning on taking the licensure examination on constitutional rights and services for PWD’s. He is also planning on pursuing a doctorate degree in the near future and on becoming a politician to help create laws for PWD’s needs for accessibility and inclusion.

It is ability that matters, not disability.
Virtanen told the audience, which was composed mostly of Deaf students, that it is not important how he became disabled. What is important is that he was able to maximize his potentials.
While he had a lot of help from strong Finnish policies supporting PWD’s, he shares that discrimination against PWD’s is generally high in Finland. Even though media downplays it, PWD’s are consistently struggling to earn respect. He notes that among PWD’s, the blind seem to have a better edge of getting a job compared to Deaf people.
This fact holds true even in the Philippine setting where most jobs are limited to hearing people, and PWD’s have the least consideration for acceptance.
While it is seriously difficult, Virtanen’s own inspirational journey proves that it can be done. As a lawyer, he campaigns for better laws and policies on accessibility and inclusion for PWD’s. This is a campaign that he not only conducts in his country, but brings to other countries as well.

Accessibility and Inclusion in the Classroom
For DLS-CSB, Virtanen recommends that the College should consider accessibility and inclusion because education is very important for PWD’s future careers.
According to the United Nations Convention, PWD’s have the right to be provided access to assistance service like professional sign language interpreters, information communications, buildings, education, and more. Virtanen said, “Unfortunately, it is still not enough, unless human rights are useful as possible. The government should also give more accessibility with information like reproduction, education and many [sic] other opportunities for PWD’s.”
Pursuing and furthering these rights through an educational institution, such as DLS-CSB, is a good reason of hope that in the near future, our own government would see, understand, and give better accessibility and inclusion for PWD’s.
Accessibility and Inclusion: Lessons from Riku Virtanen was held in the Augusto-Rosario Gonzalez Theater.

Reprinted from the Perspective.

ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION:

Lessons from Riku Virtanen

Riku Virtanen is a Deaf-Blind lawyer from

Finland and currently the Vice President of the Threshold Association,

a group that advocates for independent living and human rights.

Augusto-Rosario Gonzales Theater,

5th floor De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde,
2544 Taft Ave, Manila

June 30, 2009
9:30 am - 11:30 am

For Inquiries:

email : sdeas.opd@gmail.com
text: 09162657558

ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION:

Lessons from Riku Virtanen

Riku Virtanen is a Deaf-Blind lawyer from
Finland and currently the Vice President of the Threshold Association,
a group that advocates for independent living and human rights.

Augusto-Rosario Gonzales Theatre (5th floor),
College of Saint Benilde, Taft Ave, Manila
June 30, 2009
9:30 am - 11:30 am

For Inquiries,
email : sdeas.opd@gmail.com
cellphone: 09162657558

Study Sign Language and Open Opportunities!

Reach Out to More People!

Discover the uniqueness of Deaf Culture!


SIGN UP FOR FILIPINO SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES
at the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)


Classes are held three hours a week for 14 weeks and are conducted

by Deaf teachers.

Choose from the following schedule are: Mon/Wed/Fri, or Mon/Fri, or Tues/Thurs, or Sat.

Course fee : Php 2,400.00 (plus Php 535 for those who do not have a

DLS-CSB Generic ID).


For inquiries, please contact the Filipino Sign Language Learning Program

(FSLLP) unit at the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS)

office at 526-7441 Local 131 by ENROLLMENT EXTENDED TO JUNE 26,2009