Observing the International Week for the Deaf, students of Wangsel Institute for the Deaf pleaded the community to include deaf people by learning sign language. The Institute believes creating awareness on sign language can defeat discrimination against the deaf community.
Only 118 students were enrolled with Wangsel Institute for the Deaf after its establishment in 2003. This year, only three students were admitted to the Institute. This according to the teachers is because either the parents are embarrassed by their deaf children or some are unaware of the existence of the Institute.
“There are parents who still fear to tell the world about their deaf children especially because of stigma and discrimination by society. And also some parents are ashamed of their deaf children and they delay the admission in the Institute,” Chencho, a teacher of Wangsel Institute, said.
“Most of the parents don’t support their deaf children these days. I come here every day with my son and I can see parents who leave their children in school. They don’t come to visit their children. I request them to support their children,” Dechen Wangmo, a parent, said.
Students come to Institute without any knowledge on Sign Language. Researches show that if children do not acquire a first language in the early years, a child cannot be fluent in any language. So, the early intervention by the parents is found crucial.
“For those children who can hear and talk has ECCD centre from an early age to develop their language. And for the deaf, we don’t have it. Since they don’t get to learn language from an early stage when they come to Wangsel at the age of 22, it becomes difficult to learn Sign Language,” Chencho, the teacher, said.
The Institute provides basic sign language classes for five months before starting their formal education.
Some parents say bringing their deaf children to Wangsel has changed their children’s lives.
“I didn’t know how to communicate with my son. I didn’t understand him. After I admitted him here, he learnt sign language and even I learnt it. So it’s easier to communicate now,” Khandu Lhamo, a parent, said.
“If we enroll them here in Wangsel, it helps a lot. They can do everything like any other people. They even get opportunities to work. If they are in villages, they will have to work in the fields,” Dechen Wangmo said.
Even parents are given sign language classes every Friday. They say deaf children do not receive as much love and respect as they deserve. The parents and teachers believe that learning sign language and communicating with deaf students is the only way of giving them dignity.
“My students say they stay in the room watching TV and I asked them why. The reason they give is that their family members cannot communicate with them because they don’t know sign language. Deaf people also have their right to sign language. Also, if the community knows the sign language as well, then we give inclusion to deaf people,” Sushila Gurung, the Bhutanese Sign Language Research Team of Wangsel Institute, said.
This year, the deaf community in the world is observing the first International week for Sign Language from September 23- 29. The week was first launched in 1958 by the World Federation of the Deaf.
Sangay Chezom
