KUCHING: The Sarawak community is encouraged to continue to support the Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD) in the promotion of understanding Deaf Culture Sarawakian and sign language awareness.
In stating this, its chairman Albert Wong, pointed out that there is a very strong sense of deaf pride amongst those who live, go to school, and work with others who use sign language.
“As a minority in society, deaf people often face various challenges in their lives, which may be caused by barriers to communication and cultural differences.
“That is why, with the understanding of the deaf community and sign language awareness, everyone will be able to gain an insight into our unique community, which is identified not as a group with a disability but as cultural minorities with their own language,” he said.
He said this during the “Understanding Deaf Culture” book launching ceremony by Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah at SSD today (Jan 7).
Meanwhile, touching on the book, he said that the launch is meant to help the hearing community gain a better understanding of the deaf community.
“SSD plays an important role in connecting the deaf and hearing communities. Thus, this book is presented in order to promote deaf awareness in society,” he said.
Adding on, Wong stated that the seven chapters of the book are carefully composed and illustrated to enable the hearing society to understand the deaf better.
He explained that the first chapter of the book introduces the history and functions of SSD, while the second chapter explains about the deaf community.
In the third chapter, he said, it is a walk through the various types of deaf lifestyles and the importance of sign language interpreters in connecting the deaf and hearing communities, whereby the next chapter on deaf awareness offers some suggestions and ways of communicating with the deaf.
In Chapter 5, the difference between deaf and hearing cultures is shown to give the readers a better picture of deaf culture.
“The book also has collected stories and sharing from the volunteers — Friends of the Deaf (FOD) — who have been with us for many years.
“They are part of the hearing community, but they act as the bridge for the deaf and hearing communities.
“Last but not least, in the final chapter, it highlights some important terms for us to use to address a deaf person.
“The bottom line is that, through this book, the hearing community will be able to learn about the deaf world and their language.
“For that, we hope this book will help you learn about and understand the deaf community,” he said, adding that the book will be sold by the SSD.
For more information, visit SSD’s website at https://www.sarawaksocietyforthedeaf.org.
