In line with the nation’s celebration of Deaf
Awareness Week, that is, November 10-17,
2012, the Dumaguete City High School conducted a relevant training FOR ITS VISUAL AND HEARING- IMPAIRED (vi AND hi) STUDENTS AS WELL AS FOR THEIR RECEIVING TEACHERS WITH THE THEME “Disable and Able.” Under the strong and inspiring leadership of the City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Ramir B. Uytico with his arms Mrs. Juditha O. Mapute and Mrs. Milagros B. Ruiz education supervisors for Secondary Schools, this activity was made possible at Antulang Beach Resort, Siaton, Negros Oriental on November 11, 2012.
The aim was to orient the school’s eleven (11) receiving teachers on their task as designers of students with special needs on their education. Miss Ana Lou L. Suan who is the Executive Director of GP Rehabilitation, the training’s speaker, explained the terms disable and able. The fact that these particular type of students are branded disabled.
Those who can be considered disabled and the deaf/mute cannot understand those who are able to hear and speak and so they are also called disabled. She said that these VI and HI student have their own innate capacity to communicate with each other through sigh language. Untrained teachers would not be able to understand them without attending school for special education to be “able” to understand them.
Therefore Miss Suan encouraged the receiving teachers to have a listening and emphatic heart in order for them to grasp the thoughts and ideas from the perspective and context of the VI’s and HI’s. Likewise, the students were asked to actively participate in the training activities to enhance their skills and become future productive members of the society. These were table setting and skirting and hotel housekeeping. Miss Virginia Baro, the SPED teacher and Mrs. Ana Marie Duterte ably and selflessly interpreted and assisted the learners. (JP MILLAN)
