The Right of the Deaf to their Language

Commentary

The right of the deaf to their language
By: Liza B. Martinez

Philippine Daily Inquirer
9:08 pm | Friday, September 16th, 2011

Department of Education officials recently announced in a forum that hearing-impaired children will continue to be taught using Signing Exact English (SEE) instead of Filipino Sign Language (FSL). They also said that the existing DepEd policy calls for “using the oral method from preparatory to Grade 2 and total communication from Grades 3 to 6 using
English and Filipino Language,” and that “SEE shall be used in all subjects taught in English.”

SEE and other manually coded systems of English are visual representations of spoken English. Natural visual languages like FSL have their own unique
syntax and use non-manual signals (of the face and body) in place of many
grammatical features of spoken and written languages.

The DepEd announcement triggered outrage from the deaf community and its
stakeholders and resulted in position papers from the Philippine
Federation of the Deaf, Philippine Deaf Resource Center, Philippine
Coalition on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
De La Salle-College of St. Benilde: School of Deaf Education and Applied
Deaf Studies and Center for Education Access and Development, University
of the Philippines College of Education, Special Education Area,
Anthropology Department and UP Layap, and the 170+ Talaytayan MLE Inc.

To resolve the controversy, Alliance for Concerned Teachers Rep. Antonio
Tinio organized a dialogue last Sept. 12 between the DepEd and the
Filipino deaf community and its stakeholders. In that dialogue, Rep.
Magtanggol T. Gunigundo, author of House Bill No. 162 (An Act Establishing
a Multi-lingual Education and Literacy Program), read a statement of
support for FSL. He pointed out that Department of Education Order No. 74,
series of 2009, clearly states that the child’s first language should be
the medium of instruction in the early years. In the case of deaf
children, this should be FSL and not English, or SEE.

The Philippine Federation of the Deaf invoked the rights to education,
language, linguistic identity and deaf culture as stated in Art. 24 and 30
of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
It “calls on the State, through the Department of Education, to
immediately, effectively and fully: halt the violation of the rights to
language, culture, participation and self-determination of deaf Filipinos;
and institute, facilitate and promote all appropriate measures to
guarantee the full enjoyment of these rights.”

The Philippine Deaf Resource Center likewise called on the state to recognize the existence of Filipino Sign Language as a true and legitimate
visual language, citing research on its structure, socio-linguistics, and applications. It also called for the declaration of FSL as the national sign language in fulfillment of international commitments (i.e., Salamanca Statement, UNCRPD) consistent with Art. 5 of the 1997 SPED Policies and
Guidelines.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro responded by saying that priority
should be given to action-oriented measures such as mapping resources at
the regional and division levels, and crafting inclusive programs,
parallel to that of other disadvantaged sectors. He directed the formation
of a small group of deaf and hearing experts to coordinate with his office
regarding the above.

It was evident from the dialogue that the DepEd needs to situate its
understanding of communication and language in the context of empirical
research and not on its own definitions and operationalization of total
communication, and the bilingual goal for the deaf.

The following notions are also highly questionable: that the sign language
for training and certifying teachers is “formal” sign language; that the
only way to standardize sign language is to certify teachers; and that FSL
is a language that I created.

In this regard, SPED has to re-craft its programs consistent with local
policy and international commitments. To many deaf education stakeholders,
SPED officials as well as the academic teaching institutions which have
granted them their advanced degrees are seriously disconnected from
research and information and from the progressive reality that education
is a basic human right and a fundamental development goal. They need to be
able to overcome their inability, or perhaps unwillingness, to recognize
that the deaf children they once taught are now educated, experienced
adults who are speaking their mind and asserting their right to
self-determination. Rank, advanced degrees and the ability to hear cannot
supplant the legitimate human experience of the deaf community.

The SPED experience in formal education contrasts with that of the Bureau
of Alternative Learning Systems (BALS) which has actively initiated
training in learning Filipino Sign Language. Last year in February,
Director Carolina Guerrero requested the Philippine Federation of the Deaf
to hold an FSL Training for Mobile Teachers for 80 teachers from the
various regions. The BALS teachers are already using FSL including areas
in Mindanao such as Basilan.

The receptiveness and resolute action of BALS for its teachers to become
fluent FSL signers is because of an unencumbered view on the ground of the
realities of literacy and survival for many isolated, poor and rural deaf
children, youth and adults.

Philippine Daily Inquirer

9:13 pm | Friday, September 23rd, 2011

(Conclusion)

(In last week’s article, the cultural term “Deaf” was inadvertently edited as “deaf”. The two terms are distinct: “Deaf” refers to the progressive view of the community as a cultural linguistic minority, while “deaf” is solely a medical view of hearing impairment.)

It is a fact that our entire educational system is beset by tremendous problems. However, the concerns raised here must focus on language and literacy issues and not be sidetracked by these difficult circumstances. The complexities facing education of Deaf students in the Philippines are not unique. The World Federation of the Deaf, an international NGO of 130 national associations of Deaf people, founded in 1951, has consultative status with the United Nations and is represented in international groups and professional organizations, providing expert advice on Deaf issues. It calls upon national and regional/provincial governments to:

Legalize sign language and quality education for Deaf people of all ages.

Provide the resources necessary for the development of effective programs for teaching sign language and Deaf Studies to involved people, such as families and others.

Provide support for programs for Deaf people to receive training and become employed as teachers, educational professionals and members of educational teams.

Establish high standards for quality education programs and outcomes, from early childhood to professional education, for all Deaf people equal to that for all people.

Ensure that Deaf learners who may be placed in mainstream educational settings have access to the services of educated, trained and qualified sign language interpreters, other needed support services, Deaf peers and role models, and full participation in both the educative and co-curricular processes.

The overall goal is for Deaf students to become multilingual in their local communities and a globalized world. There is a need to set the right to full linguistic understanding and expression by Deaf children as the foremost priority in the learning process. This goal cannot be subverted even by objectives for literacy.

Several other recommendations are enumerated below:

1. Include a subject on Filipino Sign Language (FSL), with appropriate testing mechanisms, as early as pre-school, continuing throughout the primary level. Develop and adopt an FSL Proficiency Test for Deaf students.

2. Develop fully accessible educational materials for Deaf and Deaf-blind children, according to the principles of Universal Design.

3. Employ immediate Affirmative Action measures to bring Deaf FSL signer teachers/role models into the classroom. Plan and implement pre- and continuing in-service training on FSL at the division and regional levels. Formulate and conduct an FSL Proficiency Test to assess fluency for use in the criteria for hiring, promotion and tenure of teachers and interpreters. For classroom interpreters, additional assessments for sign and voice interpretation ability should be created.

4. Review, revise and update the 1997 Handbook on Special Education so that it: (a) uses correct, research-based definitions of critical terms such as sign language, sign system, communication, Total Communication, Universal Design and others; (b) definitively explains and prescribes the current progressive definition of the bilingual approach among Deaf children as: using sign language (i.e., Filipino Sign Language) as the language/medium of instruction, or L1, in all subjects for Deaf children with a parallel strong emphasis on teaching reading and writing of the language, or L2 / L3; (c) all changes to be instituted should be charged to mandated appropriations for PWDs in all national government agencies according to the General Appropriations Act and Presidential Proclamation 240. In addition, educational assistance as specified in RA 9442 (Amendments to the Magna Carta for PWDs) should be provided for Deaf and Deaf-blind students. Also a related/supplementary policy should be issued, anchored on DepEd Order 74-2009, consistent with international commitments, and with the appropriate modifications for visual languages.

5. Continuing activities on Deaf history, visual literature and culture should be promoted in partnership with national and local Deaf peoples’ organizations for teachers, interpreters, school staff, as well as LGUs, parents, caregivers, and the public at large to raise awareness about FSL and the culture and community of Deaf people.

6. The Professional Regulatory Commission and the Civil Service Commission must formulate specific measures to accelerate and achieve de facto equality of Deaf takers of the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). Collaborative research specially with state universities and colleges (as mandated in RA 7277—Magna Carta for PWDs) should be promoted.

7. Finally, crafting of legislation for the legal recognition of FSL, including in education, is essential.

Dr. Liza Martinez is one of only two hearing sign linguists trained at the renowned Deaf institution, Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.). She is the founder and director of the Philippine Deaf Resource Center. Send comments to pdrc@phildeafres.org