Developing modes of communication, education and empowerment for deaf children and their parents

Deaf children face many challenges in the Philippines which lead to low levels of achievement and employment within the Filipino deaf community. If deaf children have the opportunity to go to school, they often receive inappropriate support. There are no deaf friendly materials and awareness among teachers and wider community. In addition, there is no no consultation with deaf adults in the development of teaching methodologies for deaf children which leads to the disempowerment of the deaf community.

By coordinating the efforts of three organisations working with deaf children, their families and practioners working in the field of childhood deafness, this project aims to increase organisational capacity, develop models of best practice as well as appropriate materials for deaf children and raise awareness of the specific needs of deaf children.

Recipients:
  • Cebu Association of the Deaf
  • Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme
  • Philippine Deaf Resource Centre
Country:
Philippines
Implementing partner:
VSO (Philippines)
Project contact:
Michelle C Gabisan (Cebu Association of the Deaf)
Clarck Duterte Pelaez (Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme)
Therese Bustos (Philippine Deaf Resource Centre)
Start date:
15 June 2007
End date:
15 June 2008
Total budget:
875,200.00 PHP (�9,100.55)
Beneficiary type:
Parents, Young deaf people
Project type:
Sign language, Information materials

Summary:

The project aims to develop three models of best practice in the formal and non-formal education sector for deaf children and their parents. These models address identified needs including the conceptualization of new teaching materials, activities which pilot an innovative approach to literacy for children and adults, and methodologies to enable children and parents to advocate within the education sector. Simultaneously, VSOP will use these interventions to capacitate the three deaf partner organizations to enable them to implement more efficient and effective project interventions in the future. This will be achieved through VSOP's core competence of transferring skills and utilizing volunteer inputs.

Aim:

This project aims to increase the capacity and coordinate the efforts to improve education for deaf children of three organisations working with deaf people in the Philippines. Voluntary Service Oversea's (VSO) Manila Office will cooordinate project activities.

The Philippine Deaf Resource Centre (PDRC) in Manila aims to

  • facilitate language and literacy development of deaf children through contact with deaf adults
  • provide parents with Filipino Sign Language (FSL) and storytelling skills to improve communication within families
  • demonstrate the effectiveness of deaf adults as teachers and role models for deaf children
  • create networks of hearing parents and deaf adults.

The Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme (GVSP) in Cebu

  • By adaptating a selected textbook, GVSP will improve its accessibility for deaf children and demonstrate the effectiveness of new and appropriate materials in deaf children's educatuib. The adapted textbook will be piloted in live classroom tests. Feedback will be taken into account and 100 CD copies of the textbook will be produced.
  • A technical working group with representatives and practioners from the special education sector, including deaf students, will be established.
  • The new textbook as well as the awareness raising activities accompanying its distribution will raise the profile and needs of deaf children within the Cebu education system.
  • GVSP will act as a mentor to the Cebu Association of the Deaf which was recently established.

Cebu Association of the Deaf (CAD) in Cebu aims to

  • produce a deaf awareness booklet for deaf children, their peers, parents and other hearing adults.

Beneficiaries:

Philippine Deaf Resource Centre

  • 20 deaf children (5 to 9 years old)
  • 40 parents of deaf children, generally from socio-economically disadvantaged groups.

Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme

  • deaf children between 7 and 8 years old from a special school in Cebu

Cebu Association of the Deaf

  • deaf graduates
  • 120 deaf children from 8 years old to the end of high school from 2 local schools.

Activities:

Philippine Deaf Resource Centre (PDRC) - Manila

  • Adaptation of Gallaudet University's Shared Reading Project for deaf children and their parents
  • Shared reading sessions between deaf adults and deaf children
  • 24 weeks Filipino Sign Language (FSL) training for 40 parents, every week for 2 hours
  • Initially, parents will act as observers in shared reading sessions. As FSL skills improve they will gradually become more involved and read stories.
  • 4 forums with deaf adults, 40 parents and children to discuss communication issues
  • PDRC will encourage and support parents to create self-help groups
  • PDRC will present lessons learnt in an academic paper.

Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme (GVSP) - Cebu

  • Analysis of existing materials and identification of textbook to be modified (maths, science and English)
  • Production of adapted textbook
  • Pilot testing and feedback from 60 deaf students from a special school and their teachers
  • Dissemination of materials to government department of education and city council

Cebu Association of the Deaf (CAD) - Cebu

  • Research to identify key learning points which deaf adults wish to share with parents, teachers and deaf children
  • 2 pilot testing and feedback sessions with 120 children from mainstream classes (including some deaf students) to be facilitated by deaf and hearing adults
  • 200 copies of the booklet produced (at least 100 for deaf associations & community events in Cebu and its region, 40 for VSO volunteers at the national level). This booklet will be available in downloadable form on at least one partner website.

Achievements:

This project is well underway. Progress following the project's mid-term is detailed below.

Philippine Deaf Resource Centre

Adaptation of Gallaudet University's Shared Reading Project for deaf children and their parents

  • Teachers have been trained in the shared reading approach. This has had a particular impact on deaf staff as they have been working with not only deaf children but their hearing parents also.
  • Resources from Gallaudet University to implement the Shared Reading Project were discussed with teachers and adapted to Filipino Sign Language.

Shared reading sessions between deaf adults and deaf children

  • Deaf teachers have initially been conducting shared reading sessions directly with deaf children. Parents act as observers in shared reading sessions. As FSL skills improve they will gradually become more involved and read stories.
  • 30 deaf children have benefited so far. This is more than the 20 children initially target.
  • These shared reading sessions are accompanied by "enrichment activities" such as visits to the local zoo to illustrate reading sessions on animals for example.
  • These sessions have had a great impact on deaf children since it is often the first time they are being taught by deaf adults. The use of visual materials adapted to deaf children's way of learning and communicating has also been particularly useful. Teachers have reported a notable increase in deaf child's sign language vocabulary.

24 weeks FSL training for 40 parents, every week for 2 hours

  • Being taught by a deaf adult has changed parents' view of their child's potential to achieve.
  • Teachers have noted an increasing interest of parents for their child's education.

4 forums with deaf adults, 40 parents and children to discuss communication issues

  • One forum has been carried out to introduce the project. The second forum has been postponed to agree on a date during the week. Parents with limited resources found that week end sessions were too much commitment.
  • This forum will provide an opportunity for parents to share their experience of parenting a deaf child and discuss the potential formation of informal self-support groups.

Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme

Establishment of a technical working group from the special education sector and adaptation of existing materials

  • Individuals with relevant expertise, such as special education specialists, teachers in schools for the deaf, sign language interpreters and deaf adults involved in deaf children’s education have been identified for this group. They participated to the financial and activity planning for the project.
  • The group analysed existing textbooks used by deaf and hearing children in the classroom and found that they were grossly inadequate for the needs of deaf children. Together, they discuss how different topics could be adapted to the needs of deaf children.
  • The technical working group also visited schools for the deaf in and around Cebu City. It also carried out interviews with teachers, deaf children and their families to understand why the textbook was inappropriate and how they felt it could be improved. The main areas of improvement were increasing the amount of visual information and interactive exercises to engage with deaf children.
  • An artist was identified and trained to produce visual materials for the adapted textbook.

Production of adapted textbook

  • Section one or two of the textbook covering English have been completed and are awaiting final testing.
  • Sections two and three covering Science and Mathematics will be completed in the next reporting period.

Pilot testing and feedback from 60 deaf students from a special school and their teachers

  • More than 100 students from 3 special schools were involved in a series of live classroom tests. Parents were also involved. Feedback from parents and teachers was positive. It was observed that visual illustrations made a big difference to the students ability to understand the material in the text books.
  • Teachers recommended that the 4 sections be printed separately to avoid the books being bulky for children to use.

Dissemination of materials to government department of education and city council

  • This is planned for the next reporting period

Cebu Association of the Deaf

Research to identify key learning points which deaf adults wish to share with parents, teachers and deaf children

Deaf leaders of different deaf organisations in Cebu City gathered to talk about the issues affecting them and their peers. Sessions were very informal and included activities conducive to sharing experiences such as story telling, question and answer sessions, games, etc. The feedback was compiled by means of drawings and caricatures to be circulated among the Cebu deaf community, deaf children and their families.

The main issues identified were

  • access to information: deaf people in Cebu do not access news and are often not aware of wider issues affecting their daily lives
  • access to education: deaf people find it difficult to follow classes as they are not accessible and they receive no communication support
  • language and communication: people are not aware of the ways in which to communicate with deaf people, be it through sign language or making information more deaf friendly. People are often scared to interact with deaf people
  • access to services: deaf people find it difficult to access services due to a general lack of awareness, support and infrastructure to meet their needs.
  • family and social relations: deaf people feel estranged and alienated from their families. They are often excluded from family conversations and social gatherings. Deaf people in Cebu spend more time with other deaf people, with who they find it easier to communicate than with their families. This in turn makes family members feel that their deaf relative is a stranger
  • level of empowerment among deaf people themselves: deaf leaders felt that many deaf people lack awareness of the issues affecting them and have little knowledge of their own culture.

2 pilot testing and feedback sessions with 120 children from mainstream classes (including some deaf students) to be facilitated by deaf and hearing adults

  • 1 feedback session with 10 deaf adults was held .They gave positive feedback and were able to ensure language was accessible in both English and Visayan.
  • 1 session was held with 15 hearing pupils. This highlighted that the primer was a useful tool in motivating hearing students to learn Sign Language. The children understood the illustrations and quickly picked up signs. The mixed age group (children from 4-14) was not ideal and it would be better to hold separate sessions for young children. One deaf child was identified at this session and the CAD team hope to return to the school to continue teaching Sign Language.
  • 1 with 10 deaf elementary pupils and 30 deaf high school students. The primer was easily accessible to the deaf students, and some adjustments to illustrations were made as a result of difficulties in understanding.

200 copies of the booklet produced (at least 100 for deaf associations & community events, 40 for VSO volunteers), booklet available in downloadable form on at least one partner website.

  • The budget will be increased by around £60 to ensure that 100 copies can be produced. (relocated from money saved from the copywriter). The copies will be distributed in May.
  • Distribution through VSO volunteers will occur after the conclusion of the project using a volunteer specifically assigned with the role of mainstreaming disability.
  • In August 2008, feedback will be obtained from VSO staff and partners through the Annual Partners and Volunteers meeting.
  • VSO P website will be launched in August and will include the primer as a link. The project will also discuss with PDRC to ensure that the primer is on their website too.

Production of the booklet

  • An artist has been identified to draw the illustrations.

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