Hearing impaired student conquers all

Hearing impaired student conquers all

By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo

JAKARTA (JP): Galuh Sukmara Soejanto could be just another
ordinary student with a distinctive achievement. Although she was
always a top 10 student throughout her secondary education,
graduating with the highest student evaluation score in
Banjarnegara regency, Central Java, she has dreams and hopes and
knows she will find obstacles in her quest to reach them, just
like any other teenager.

What makes Galuh unique is her determination and strength to
overcome her hindrance: a hearing disability.

Born as a normal baby 20 years ago, Galuh lost her auditory
ability in a fall when she was two years old. Gradually, the
world became a noiseless place for her, but it is through this
world of silence that she makes herself heard.

Even though her inability to hear also led to a speech
impediment, Galuh's parents sent her to a regular elementary
school. Their reasoning seemed simple at the time: there was no
school for the handicapped in her regency.

The decision nearly cost them Galuh's future; she nearly
dropped out from elementary school.

"Her achievement (at elementary school) was well below
average, she could barely hear anything in the classroom," said
Soejanto, Galuh's father.

Yet there was something behind their reasoning that nurtured
Galuh's inner strength. Soejanto believed that his daughter
should learn to communicate with others, otherwise she would not
be accepted in society.

Attending a regular school was an unpleasant experience for
Galuh in the beginning. Galuh had not learned to talk prior to
her fall.

"People thought I was both mute and deaf," said Galuh in a
written interview with The Jakarta Post. She bitterly recalled
those days as a "shameful and depressing" time. Rarely would
people talk to her, let alone explain the subjects previously
discussed in the classroom.

The family's poor economic condition -- Soejanto is a civil
servant in the regency -- and the lack of medical facilities in
the area postponed treatment until Galuh reached junior
elementary school.

The day she was fitted with a hearing aid at the age of 12 was
an unforgettable thrill for the girl.

"She hysterically cried on the way back from Yogyakarta, for
at last she could finally hear," recalled Soejanto.

The hearing aid became an agent of change in Galuh's life.
Although it took time for her to learn how to talk, the device
improved her hearing significantly enough for her to listen to
lectures in the classroom.

In junior high school, Galuh proved that she was better than
her peers. She was always among the best five in her class.

Galuh did not stop there. She involved herself in extra
curricular activities by becoming a treasurer for the school's
student organization.

She also participated in sporting tournaments in her region.
In sport, being a deaf individual had its perks.

"Since I could lip-read, I could see what my opponents were
saying on the opposite side of the field," said Galuh. She added
that half of the words were somewhat indecent and not worth
repeating.

In 1993, she came second in a table tennis tournament in the
regency. Galuh also represented her school in a model student
competition at the regency level, but she did not win.

"I was really amazed by her determination. The only thing that
slowed her down was when she had to communicate in a forum," said
Soejanto.

Her disability did not stop her becoming the champion in a
speech competition in her sophomore year.

Continuing her achievements throughout her years in high
school, Galuh was accepted by Gadjah Mada University's School of
Psychology, Yogyakarta, after graduating with the highest student
evaluation score in her regency.

Even though she had an excellent academic record, the school
nearly rejected her due to her disability.

It was not the first time Galuh experienced discrimination.
The regular education system in Indonesia is known for its
rigidity and has little sympathy for a disabled person like
Galuh. One of her most dreaded experiences were oral
examinations.

"Even if I studied hard, how could I answer questions, if I
have trouble hearing them?" said Galuh.

To overcome her predicament Galuh, whose principle is
"communication is not an obstacle but a challenge", applied
unconventional means of learning. One of them was by becoming a
guide for foreign tourist at Dieng Plateau, Central Java.

From the experience, not only could she practice English,
Galuh also regained her confidence and made acquaintances from
abroad.

Developing confidence was an issue that Galuh and her parents
had to face when she started university. They felt that the
campus environment and workload surely would be more complex than
her past academic experience.

"I always have to remind her that individuals were born with
their own advantages and shortcomings" said Soejanto. He also
took her to Father Adrianus, a director of a school for the
handicapped in Wonosobo, Central Java, who gave her some advise.

Through Adrianus, Galuh learned about the Alexander Graham
Bell Association in the United States. The association is a
nonprofit organization with a mission to empower individuals with
a hearing impairment for full participation in society.

After a selection process, Galuh became one of 74 recipients
of college scholarships from the association. The recipients were
selected from a pool of outstanding hearing impaired students in
the United States and abroad.

Galuh received the scholarship with mixed feelings. On one
hand she felt relieved that her achievement in overcoming her
disability was commended, on the other hand she felt frustrated
at the lack of local awareness for someone like her.

"There is a lack of attention for disabled students in
universities in Indonesia, while in universities abroad they give
permission for an oral interpreter to be present in lecture
rooms," said Galuh.

Her experience generated an obsession to advocate recognition
for hearing impaired individuals in Indonesia. By studying
psychology she hopes to specialize in psychology for hearing
impaired individuals and hopes to encourage people with a similar
condition.

Recalling Galuh's inquisitive nature as an adolescent,
Soejanto remembered some of Galuh's disturbing questions about
God.

"Now I realized it was more about her restlessness at that
time, yet her closeness to Him, her motivation and persistence
overcame everything," said Soejanto.