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Should English Course Center Open A Special Class For the Deaf?


Like the previous story about "Are You Thinking That Deaf People Can't Learn English? Or the link that you can open https://rakanurmujahid10.blogspot.com/2022/03/are-you-really-thinking-that-deaf.html. I'm about to hope and have been dreaming that the English course center will have a special class for the Deaf. So, why should be?

Deaf people in Indonesia only haven't a chance to learn English that should have been started in kindergarten and mostly study in special needs schools or SLB. SLB and regular school or what we called it a hearing school has different rules and curriculum. As you know that you're a hearing person and obviously will learn English since kindergarten, but we aren't. We have to train in read-lips every day and it is used in Indonesian. No second language that we taught.

The question is when will we start to learn English? We started to learn English in high school and it is about basic English, like what you started to learn English in kindergarten. How can you imagine it? Deaf people are always shocked when they are studying English at a mainstream school with hearing students. In high school, hearing students will learn English with tenses or grammar but Deaf people never and they just learn basic English. 

Then, how can be? I will show a picture of the special needs curriculum created by the Ministry of Education.  Here is it:


That was in 2017 and just recently has been changed a little, then approved in February 2022. Unfortunately, still the same as the last curriculum. In addition, I was going to some SLBs in Solo, Sragen, Sukoharjo, and Karaganyar and there was no English class for elementary and kindergarten. I was even been a teacher for data research, but I still found something was wrong. When they are in high school, they will start to learn English. Does it delay language? And, you shouldn't be forgotten that all SLBs are taught in reading lips and SIBI, which is never been taught in real sign language or BISINDO. That strongly affects Deaf children. You can open the book here (English for SMPLB), and find what differences:

https://www.slideshare.net/mhharismansur/skkd-bahasa-inggris-smplb-btuna-rungu

https://pmpk.kemdikbud.go.id/bukudigital/read/pdf/bahasa-inggris-60aa6e2951ae9

And, many more. (Search: Bahasa Inggris untuk Tunarungu Paket B)

And, the worst is. No English course center is ready for the Deaf. In general, they think that Deaf people should need to use hearing aids and fear how to teach and communicate with Deaf people due to what they are thinking of listening and speaking. Although what we need is just to learn English by reading and writing. No English teacher has fluent sign language. So, that causes less interested Deaf people to learn English despite they have fluent international sign or ASL/ American Sign Language that when they get started learning on Youtube, video calls, or in meeting with foreign Deaf tourists are from Europe, Australia, Asia, and America. But, right now, I look at how grown Deaf people increased interest in learning English when Surya Sahetapy is a Deaf activist taking a study abroad at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York, and also some Deaf people from Indonesia take studying in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Unfortunately, they do not know when and where should they start to learn English. Usually, they will learn themselves or pay a private teacher (not all many since economic reasons). So, I am now hoping that the English course center will open a special class for the Deaf. I am not sure how it could happen but I am sure it would be. Because this is time to change and make it possible. But, one thing I expected is to give a discount because none of the Deaf people afford to pay for the English course center. Just want to be like that. I do not know when it will come true and only God knows.

I hope everyone who reads will initiate to start something I expect.

Thanks, everyone!

For Your Information: 

The term that I feel comfortable being called is "Tuli" instead of "tuna rungu". Tuli means Deaf and tuna rungu means hearing impaired. It depends on how does individual. 

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