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A lot of Jobs to Done For Indonesia

Signed "equality" in international sign

Yesterday I got a piece of the sad news that Tonan, a Deaf guy has shared his terrible experience with an awful service that was given to the hearing security guard and employees. Hearing security guard and employees had behaved discriminated against Deaf people. He was invited to interview with Grab Indonesia but unfortunately, he had to experienced injustice with Grab Indonesia. More continued that you can see it on Instagram (link: instagram.com/tagorenatodinigrat, see a black and white picture written "Pengalaman anak tuli menerima undangan interview di GRAB. I think it was INHUMANE." but the caption is only available Indonesian. The English summary you can see it through the link is instagram.com/suryasahetapy, see the video where he addressed on statement "Deaf ally", discrimination against Deaf people, and his life experience as a Deaf person).

That's not the first time, Grab did a piece shameful discrimination against Deaf people, it started in 2018 when a hearing driver declined to take a Deaf woman and sent disrespectful words such as "mati aja lu, orang susah (in English, it means you should die and you suck) and cancel aja, saya gak mau bawa orang tuli." (it means, just cancel and I don't want to take a Deaf person). (the link: https://www.rancahpost.com/201803104821/ditolak-driver-ojek-online-gara-gara-tuli-curhatan-penumpang-ini-jadi-viral/). That was resolved, Grab Indonesia apologized, and a hearing driver got fired. But, we still had another disrespectful discrimination against Deaf people, it happened the next year was in 2019, a Deaf guy wanted to apply for his job at Grab but the hearing employees declined due to his deafness. And, now still happening in 2022! No change whatever and this is really disappointing and embarrassing! 

(The picture says: I have the same experience when I applied to become a driver at Grab in 2019. I was in and queuing in line when I got an interview, they did what Tonan said. My ears were tested and considered that I wasn't nice so I got a polite reject with the reason that said fear of getting a bad score from customer (this is due to his deafness). Since that, I was traumatized and never use a Grab application so that when they never learned what they made mistake. I hope they openly thinking. Amen. Disclamier: I'm sorry if I'm bad at translation).

I think it's not surprised but always happens. I was invited to interview (just called company A), I ask them to bring the interpreter, but they declined and canceled our interview appointment, and even though before I said to them that I'm Deaf and they okay.  Another was disrespectful and too personal questions like "can you still hear little?", "do you have hearing aids or cochlear implants?", "can you talk with a clear and a good voice?" and many more. I have told them that I'm Deaf so they didn't need to ask too personal questions, though. It felt like a hearing person want to test Deaf people as they believe Deaf people STIL can hear and talk as what the hearing standardly might be common.

We have sign language and also an interpreter that is prepared for hearing people who do not know sign language so why do hearing people still want to "test" Deaf people to hear and talk without sign language? That is nonsense and annoying.  Should we test hearing people to sign/ sign language without verbal language? Do you think it makes sense?

And, we have a lot of jobs for the Deaf community, what are?

1. We live segregationally and exclusively, the term "hearing village" and "Deaf village". You can see SLB/ special needs schools don't close to public schools, whose called hearing schools. The hearing families who have Deaf children usually ban their Deaf children to play outside with hearing neighbors since they are shy of having Deaf children. This is an issue since many hearing people never meet Deaf people in their life and they just meet Deaf people for the first time when they turn 20s years old or above. It is like a shock culture because they never met Deaf people in their life. We need to live more inclusive and integrated with hearing people as one nation and community. 

 2. We need more DEAF ALLY. Since hearing people only want to hear fellow hearing people as easy communication. So, we don't have the strategy to face hearing people so we need more DEAF ALLY so our voice can be heard through Deaf ally-- a hearing person who knows sign language and becomes an activist for Deaf people. 

3. Sign language needs to teach in all schools. The point-out of the first number is the same as what I'm saying that sign language needs to teach in all schools, which are TK (kindergarten school), SD (elementary school), SMP (junior high school), SMA (senior high school), and universities since sign language isn't only for Deaf people but it's for everyone. Many hearing people do not know sign language because they never learned sign language when they studied. So, it's necessary.

4. To acknowledge Indonesian sign language (BISINDO) and various local sign languages (Kata Kolok in Northern Bali, many local sign languages across Indonesia) instead of the system signed of Indonesian language (SIBI). All SLBs have a SIBI dictionary and regularly teach Deaf children with SIBI, SIBI isn't ours and it is owned by the hearing people who made it without the Deaf representatives. 

5. Strong Laws, Full Accessibility, and Protected. We have UU No. 8 Tahun 2016, but we need to be protected so we have protected access and do what we want to. If you have discrimination, you can file in a report to the cop or the Deaf lawyer so you will get guaranteed. But, now, we haven't a Deaf lawyer so who would we report? Only make it going viral on social media?

Actually, we want more such as free healthcare insurance for persons with disability, free hearing aids insurance or sign language class for hearing parents who have Deaf children until 18 years, end the ban on Deaf people having a driver's license, and more. But, I think the five points are important to the Deaf community. Indonesia has a failed system for Deaf people. A system that is created as hearing standardly looks impossible to Deaf people who have been struggling to hide their identity and forced to become a "hearing person" as what do hearing people expect. The system that we want to be is just respecting our communication choices and sign language is needed to be taught in all schools, which are hearing schools.

Respect our language before we can respect you. This is our Deaf culture that proud of.

I hope it's would be impacting on hearing people who awareness of Deaf people and sign language, we proud of the language and culture.

Thanks, everyone!

Disclaimer: I'm not an activist. I just write what I thought of any points want to point out as part of the Deaf person representative. 


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