On The Sixth Year of International Sign Language Day, We Build A Bridge to Tomorrow

Why Filipino Sign Language Needs Us

by Patricia Grace Ysabelle Junio

Despite finally graduating from elementary school, a child is still lost as the teacher introduces a new lesson because no one else uses the language they know. Alarms blare as water rises for communities on riverbanks, but one person sits unaware. After waiting in long queues, a patient sits nervously as the doctor stares perplexed. These are the unheard realities of the deaf community whose world is hushed to their needs.

In 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority recorded that about 1,784,690 Filipinos were reported to have hearing difficulties, and over 540,000 people use Filipino Sign Language (FSL). The Filipino Sign Language Law or R.A. 11106 was only officially passed in 2018. Still, the mummed stories of fear and closed doors challenge the bearings that a mere legal document carries.

The foundation unseen

The Filipino Sign Language Law mandates FSL as the official and national sign language of the Filipino Deaf. Government agencies are tasked to coordinate the use of FSL in schools, courts, hospitals, and other public services to effectively provide the deaf community with their needs. In education, FSL is expected to be taught as a separate subject in the curriculum for learners who are Deaf while teachers in learning centers are to be trained and evaluated regularly.

The decades-long struggle for accessibility and representation for the deaf community still persists despite the FSL Law being passed in 2018. Marites Racquel Corpuz, the former president of the Philippine Federation of the Deaf and researcher in the United States Agency for International Development for climate change realities for the deaf, recounts difficulties in looking for a possible author in Congress for an FSL Bill as early as 2004. During that time, FSL was hardly seen as a language.

Mistaken beliefs such as FSL being another version of American Sign Language or a direct translation of spoken or written languages contribute to its slow acceptance. FSL grows from the cultural context of the Filipino deaf community and their lived experiences. It is not defined by the grammar and syntax of our written or spoken languages, but rather by the orientation of the palms, space, hand shape, and expressions of the face.

The road to the wide use of FSL is rocky, with sinkholes of misconceptions and sharp edges of prejudice. In paving the way to inclusivity, it ought to be navigated in the right direction.

Filling the structural cracks

Last 2023, special needs education received zero budget and support from the Marcos Jr.’s administration. In the preceding school year, 11,058 students with Deafness enrolled — those who were integrated into classrooms with hearing students lacked access to interpreters or teachers who were proficient in FSL.

Some children who are Deaf graduate from elementary school without fully attaining the learning competencies because teachers only know how to teach limited concepts in FSL. In advancing the education system, the administration must not leave a child behind. Merely opening the classroom door is not enough, the need for more interpreters and teachers equipped with FSL must also be answered.

These barriers to education often lead to hurdles in entering the workforce. There remains a lack of promotion for deaf people due to a persisting limited belief in their abilities. Although some local businesses are slowly hiring people who are deaf, many are still found to be unemployed or underemployed, and inclusivity in the workforce is still put into question.

Even in the context of climate change, persons with disabilities are more likely to be affected. Early Warning Systems in local government units often include the use of alarms or spoken language, which is inaccessible to people who are deaf. These climate realities for the deaf community place them in a more vulnerable position, missing timely opportunities to evacuate and save their lives. The use of inclusive disaster risk responses is urgent, especially since the effects of climate change are worsening every year.

Even receiving healthcare can be daunting for many in the deaf community. Fears of being misunderstood, undermined, and misdiagnosed due to communication barriers are among the numerous obstacles that may make seeking healthcare difficult. Some medical conditions may also be difficult to communicate to the average doctor since some signs are advanced and the presence of an interpreter can feel like a breach of privacy. These barriers can deter people who are Deaf from seeking healthcare, while doctors may hesitate to attend to them. This delays treatments and leaves patients who are Deaf confused or uncertain about their condition.

Distributing and bearing the load

Local initiatives, like the creation of a medical handbook for FSL by medical students from the University of the Philippines Manila in partnership with the Philippine Association of the Deaf Inc., offer opportunities for learning and improve doctor-to-patient communication. Yet, Nathan Gagalac, one of the students involved in the creation of MediSign, notes that there is still much to be done for the enhancement of healthcare for patients who are Deaf.

“Legislation requiring medical students and healthcare providers to learn Filipino Sign Language — or incorporating it into the medical school curriculum — would help ensure that Deaf patients receive the quality healthcare they deserve,” said Gagalac.

Kakamay Movement, an organization for the empowerment of the Deaf, cautions that there is a difference in deaf culture that is often misunderstood, highlighting that immersion into the lives of the deaf community is important to learn their needs. Although attending one-day trainings can be a start, initiatives by the government and civil society must learn to engage with the deaf community in order to be more aware of their needs and reach the mainstream.

Aside from putting the use of FSL into writing, it requires the robust collaboration of government agencies in developing the curriculum and competencies for FSL. Besides providing proficient interpreters, including FSL in general curriculums for all courses, especially those involved in healthcare and education, can equip our healthcare providers and educators with skills to build trust and understanding with their future patients and students.

A law that does not lay the bricks and moves the construction to a more inclusive path, is not a law but a mere suggestion. If not our doctors, who will tell the pregnant woman who is Deaf, when to “push”, when to breathe, and that the baby is healthy? If not our teachers, then, who will teach children with Deafness, subjects from mathematics to physics?

To build a bridge, it is not enough to say that it exists. With each passing day, we must ask “How many can cross?”, “Does it begin to crumble after a few months?” Research that involves the situation of the Filipino deaf community and their needs, especially in our current context, is vital to ensure that they are not left behind in times of progress.

It takes more than words to build the bridge of understanding, and undeniably many, many hands.