The fate of deaf students
The fate of deaf students
From Kompas
Each human being has a different fate. The origin of suffering is unknown -- hence our fate as the parents of a deaf child. We devote almost all our time to enable him to communicate with sign language as well as lipreading. This is a sort of provision or foothold that we can give him for his future.
Many people do not realize that the difficulty a deaf child experiences in communicating is caused by his low hearing ability; some children are even totally unable to hear anything. These children seem to live in a quiet cave. Their hearing disability renders them incapable of uttering a word. Deaf children need special care and guidance. Like other normal human beings, they also have emotions, intelligence and ideals.
In Indonesia the number of people suffering from deafness is estimated at close to two million, but the schools available for them are less than the fingers of both hands. In the few special schools available in the regions, these children are categorized in Group C. In this group the disabilities of the children are not differentiated; all of them are merged into one group, which includes even mentally retarded children.
The problem is that our comprehension regarding the capabilities of deaf children is itself a cause for great concern and therefore puts them in a more complex situation.
Take for example, my own child who received a high rank in his class in Notre Dame Junior High School, West Jakarta. Prior to that he had attended Pangudi Luhur Special School, West Jakarta.
As I wanted to upgrade his education, I registered him at Laurensia International Senior High School. He passed the entrance exam and he felt very happy, and as parents, so did we, as it was something to be proud of. But during the completion of administrative requirements, when I revealed that my child was deaf, the school administration staff were shocked and immediately said that they did not accept deaf students.
Our happiness immediately disappeared and our child became depressed.
We keep wondering: "Must children with hearing difficulties suffer discriminatory treatment? Should we add to their lifetime burden?"
MAGDALENA BUNGAWAN
Jakarta