Transformative Journal of Thiba Sathivel

Social Engagement programme is a part of student’s journey towards learning. Learning is not only limited inside the four walls of the classroom, because we learn best when we are exposed to new experiences and things around us. During our social engagement programme dated April 1-2, we’ve gone to Sekolah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas (SKPK) Shah Alam. My group member and I witnessed how it was really great to be exposed in the hearing and communicating disabilities student’s daily life. We are there not only to merely have fun; rather we are there to learn lots of things. It was one of the most heart touching experiences I have had till now. As a student hearing and communicating are the most important possession we have without which a normal person like me can never imagine what we would have done possibly. But after staying at the school for 2 days, it changed my view. I understood how strong and powerful is a person’s willpower.

These children haven’t known a world of sounds. They lead muted lives and their ears and mouths are ever silent. For them speech does not exist. Noise and music are the same for them, rather, nothing to them. But just that they cannot speak, doesn’t mean that they are not like us not intelligent. They sure are intelligent and intellectual too. Many of them have brilliant skills. We conducted some activity including Crossword Puzzle, Constructing Building, Supermodel, and Parachute Egg and when we saw their ability, we dropped our jaws in awe. The students were elated and spirits uplifted, as we started all the activities. They started gesturing and makings signs with their hands but in vain did our minds perceive the meanings. We wanted to talk to them but, we could not. They didn’t know to speak and we didn’t know the sign language. However, we worked a way out: we wrote whatever we wanted to say or ask on the whiteboard. They replied accordingly either conveying with nods or through hand-movements or writing back on the board. They students also taught us how to say our name in sign language.

When we talked to their teachers and they told us about the students. They seemed to know each and every student of their class very deeply and thoroughly and tried to tell us too explicitly about some of their students. They told us about their teaching methods and what challenges they faced while teaching. Their teachers work and serve the children with utmost dedication. They called them “our children”. The teachers’ hearts are brimmed with care and love for the children and have great deal of concern for each individual student. As we conversed with their teachers, they told us that some of the parents of these children look down at them with disdain. The teachers said that the parents are non-cooperative toward the development of these children. Their other children are provided with facilities like private tuition's and hobby-classes, but these – serving them equally just like other children born from the same wombs isn’t considered necessary. Such pity that their own parents are indifferent towards them! Who else is expected to understand them?

The misery of such people is lack of expression of feelings. Their communication is merely through signs that are monotonous and cannot accommodate the warmth of their feelings. Their sign language may be expressionless because it cannot convey what they feel but this does not mean that these people too are feeling-less. It is manifest from the way they treat you and the way they react that they too have feelings. It’s not the fault of their unspeakable mouths. Until I experienced this programme I didn’t realise how much I took my own hearing for granted, or the sorts of emotions and experiences deaf people go through and why people need to be more aware of deafness. I really wish the public and government could do more and help bring light in the life of deaf children. I wish awareness of deafness was there, every child could be be tested for deafness at birth, hearing aids could be made available at subsidised rates. I also wish that this social engagement programme will benefit for others in future.

MEMORIES💖💗💖💗