Hearing impaired student conquers all<\/p>\n
By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Galuh Sukmara Soejanto could be just another
\nordinary student with a distinctive achievement. Although she was
\nalways a top 10 student throughout her secondary education,
\ngraduating with the highest student evaluation score in
\nBanjarnegara regency, Central Java, she has dreams and hopes and
\nknows she will find obstacles in her quest to reach them, just
\nlike any other teenager.<\/p>\n
What makes Galuh unique is her determination and strength to
\novercome her hindrance: a hearing disability.<\/p>\n
Born as a normal baby 20 years ago, Galuh lost her auditory
\nability in a fall when she was two years old. Gradually, the
\nworld became a noiseless place for her, but it is through this
\nworld of silence that she makes herself heard.<\/p>\n
Even though her inability to hear also led to a speech
\nimpediment, Galuh's parents sent her to a regular elementary
\nschool. Their reasoning seemed simple at the time: there was no
\nschool for the handicapped in her regency.<\/p>\n
The decision nearly cost them Galuh's future; she nearly
\ndropped out from elementary school.<\/p>\n
\"Her achievement (at elementary school) was well below
\naverage, she could barely hear anything in the classroom,\" said
\nSoejanto, Galuh's father.<\/p>\n
Yet there was something behind their reasoning that nurtured
\nGaluh's inner strength. Soejanto believed that his daughter
\nshould learn to communicate with others, otherwise she would not
\nbe accepted in society.<\/p>\n
Attending a regular school was an unpleasant experience for
\nGaluh in the beginning. Galuh had not learned to talk prior to
\nher fall.<\/p>\n
\"People thought I was both mute and deaf,\" said Galuh in a
\nwritten interview with The Jakarta Post. She bitterly recalled
\nthose days as a \"shameful and depressing\" time. Rarely would
\npeople talk to her, let alone explain the subjects previously
\ndiscussed in the classroom.<\/p>\n
The family's poor economic condition -- Soejanto is a civil
\nservant in the regency -- and the lack of medical facilities in
\nthe area postponed treatment until Galuh reached junior
\nelementary school.<\/p>\n
The day she was fitted with a hearing aid at the age of 12 was
\nan unforgettable thrill for the girl.<\/p>\n
\"She hysterically cried on the way back from Yogyakarta, for
\nat last she could finally hear,\" recalled Soejanto.<\/p>\n
The hearing aid became an agent of change in Galuh's life.
\nAlthough it took time for her to learn how to talk, the device
\nimproved her hearing significantly enough for her to listen to
\nlectures in the classroom.<\/p>\n
In junior high school, Galuh proved that she was better than
\nher peers. She was always among the best five in her class.<\/p>\n
Galuh did not stop there. She involved herself in extra
\ncurricular activities by becoming a treasurer for the school's
\nstudent organization.<\/p>\n
She also participated in sporting tournaments in her region.
\nIn sport, being a deaf individual had its perks.<\/p>\n
\"Since I could lip-read, I could see what my opponents were
\nsaying on the opposite side of the field,\" said Galuh. She added
\nthat half of the words were somewhat indecent and not worth
\nrepeating.<\/p>\n
In 1993, she came second in a table tennis tournament in the
\nregency. Galuh also represented her school in a model student
\ncompetition at the regency level, but she did not win.<\/p>\n
\"I was really amazed by her determination. The only thing that
\nslowed her down was when she had to communicate in a forum,\" said
\nSoejanto.<\/p>\n
Her disability did not stop her becoming the champion in a
\nspeech competition in her sophomore year.<\/p>\n
Continuing her achievements throughout her years in high
\nschool, Galuh was accepted by Gadjah Mada University's School of
\nPsychology, Yogyakarta, after graduating with the highest student
\nevaluation score in her regency.<\/p>\n
Even though she had an excellent academic record, the school
\nnearly rejected her due to her disability.<\/p>\n
It was not the first time Galuh experienced discrimination.
\nThe regular education system in Indonesia is known for its
\nrigidity and has little sympathy for a disabled person like
\nGaluh. One of her most dreaded experiences were oral
\nexaminations.<\/p>\n
\"Even if I studied hard, how could I answer questions, if I
\nhave trouble hearing them?\" said Galuh.<\/p>\n
To overcome her predicament Galuh, whose principle is
\n\"communication is not an obstacle but a challenge\", applied
\nunconventional means of learning. One of them was by becoming a
\nguide for foreign tourist at Dieng Plateau, Central Java.<\/p>\n
From the experience, not only could she practice English,
\nGaluh also regained her confidence and made acquaintances from
\nabroad.<\/p>\n
Developing confidence was an issue that Galuh and her parents
\nhad to face when she started university. They felt that the
\ncampus environment and workload surely would be more complex than
\nher past academic experience.<\/p>\n
\"I always have to remind her that individuals were born with
\ntheir own advantages and shortcomings\" said Soejanto. He also
\ntook her to Father Adrianus, a director of a school for the
\nhandicapped in Wonosobo, Central Java, who gave her some advise.<\/p>\n
Through Adrianus, Galuh learned about the Alexander Graham
\nBell Association in the United States. The association is a
\nnonprofit organization with a mission to empower individuals with
\na hearing impairment for full participation in society.<\/p>\n
After a selection process, Galuh became one of 74 recipients
\nof college scholarships from the association. The recipients were
\nselected from a pool of outstanding hearing impaired students in
\nthe United States and abroad.<\/p>\n
Galuh received the scholarship with mixed feelings. On one
\nhand she felt relieved that her achievement in overcoming her
\ndisability was commended, on the other hand she felt frustrated
\nat the lack of local awareness for someone like her.<\/p>\n
\"There is a lack of attention for disabled students in
\nuniversities in Indonesia, while in universities abroad they give
\npermission for an oral interpreter to be present in lecture
\nrooms,\" said Galuh.<\/p>\n
Her experience generated an obsession to advocate recognition
\nfor hearing impaired individuals in Indonesia. By studying
\npsychology she hopes to specialize in psychology for hearing
\nimpaired individuals and hopes to encourage people with a similar
\ncondition.<\/p>\n
Recalling Galuh's inquisitive nature as an adolescent,
\nSoejanto remembered some of Galuh's disturbing questions about
\nGod.<\/p>\n
\"Now I realized it was more about her restlessness at that
\ntime, yet her closeness to Him, her motivation and persistence
\novercame everything,\" said Soejanto.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hearing-impaired-student-conquers-all-1447893297",
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