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During in-community orientation, I went to a High School in Cebu, one that looked like I went into an English Primary school, with the alphabetical sign language icons across the top of the wall. One, I hasn't seen since maybe, nursery. Before I went in, I had seen Deaf Filipinos sawing away at a tree log and planting. It wasn't clear to me, till I read this website. This website was owned by IDEA. The International Deaf Education Association. They have a mission to "foster self-reliance by providing academic, vocational, physical, spiritual, and economic opportunities for deaf children, adults and families." They provide family help and housing development. In order for Deaf people to gain independence, they initially purchase the land, subdivides it, constructs the homes and move Deaf families to the homes on a rent to own basis. It then is able to process the government loan papers and eventually be reimbursed by the government. Never mind that, my point is in the Philippines, they heavily rely on vocational and physical skills rather than academic. Hence, why this nice Filipino high school dude was sawing in their outdoor playground. One ICS volunteer said to me after my do-not-want-to-believe expression, "No, they educate us grade 2, even when we are grade 6." I was thinking, but why? And I found a number of sources showing a timeline of education and associations going back to 1962. Even in 1974, they had a Southeast Asian Institute for the Deaf encouraging Total communication. Their historical evidence show no successful stories in English or maths but in vocational activities. The same for the achievement board at High School.
English is not introduced in classrooms simply because teachers do not know that Deaf people are able to write if taught in the right way. Their reaction to a Deaf person writing is a mixture of disbelief and awe. One of the UK volunteers who is placed there will be teaching them full time English till the end of her trip.
I think this has already, in week 2 inspired me to become a Teacher of the Deaf, a job people have always said I should be. At first, I was thinking, but its what you want me to do. But not only in the UK, are we desperate for more ToD but I think in developing countries; they would too benefit from seeing more Deaf teachers. This could drop the disbelief in current teachers (which is annoying by the way) and show them that educating the Deaf shouldn't just be about the basics.
http://www.ideadeaf.org/about-idea/#.VB7UUqdwb0w
http://www.mccidonline.net/said/ouractivities.htm
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