Deaf News: Model school in the Philippines launches family communication programme for students

A school in the Philippines is showing the way forward for the education of deaf children. By being in touch with their student’s needs, staff can encourage them to learn through play, as well as structured lessons using a variety of communication techniques.

Miriam College’s Southeast Asian Institute for the Deaf (MC-SAID), in Quezon City,  Manila,  also offer an integrated family communication programme.

The programme, with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, helps to improve the sign language skills of parents and family, so students benefit from better communication at home.

The school was established in 1974. Its aim was to act as a model school for the education of deaf students and as a teacher-training centre for deaf education in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

In essence,the school is dedicated to the total development of deaf children, as well as providing equal opportunities for disabled students.

MC-SAID have their own curriculum, which allows them to use an effective mix of formal sign language, speech reading, finger spelling, amplification of residual hearing, reading and writing. Some of the language development techniques were devised specifically for the children at the school.

The school also employs deaf, as well as hearing, members of staff. The Principal of the institute, Carolyn C. Ui, noted that the deaf teachers were more sympathetic, patient and effective than their hearing counterparts.

One teacher, Jing Cadiz, said; “As the children here aren’t auditory learners, lessons are always taught through visualization tools, such as pictures. To help them understand how plants grow, for example, we asked them to go outside of the classroom and to directly observe the plants.”

 

by Emily Howlett
Read the original article here.