Surviving a Hearing World not for Everyone: Developing Filipino Sign Language in a Disaster-Prone Country

Imagine not being able to hear the siren blaring to warn of rising floodwaters. Or being trapped in a house in the middle of a typhoon unaware of the dangers posed by the whistling wind and the downpour pounding the roof.

These are just some of the challenges confronting the Deaf—persons who because of their lack of hearing become vulnerable when exposed to the hazards of adverse weather events and climate change.

Rialyn Espijon, a teacher at the Philippine School for the Deaf, described their situation, thus.

“Nagpapanic na ang lahat, pero sila na mga Deaf parang relaxed pa lang din," Espijon said.

“Problema natin dito sa mga Deaf community kasi hindi nga sila nakakarinig. So, mahirap sa kanila na kapag merong announcement, announcement through talk, hindi naman nila naririnig. So, nadi-delay yung pagbibigay ng information,” she added.

(Everyone is already alarmed but the Deaf still appear relaxed. It is a problem in the Deaf community because they can't hear. It is difficult for them whenever there is a spoken announcement. They don't hear it. The information is delayed.)

Jerome Alad, a 37-year-old deaf person, shared his struggle when Tropical Storm Ondoy hit the country in September 2009.

"I went to Quezon City and because I was going to repair my friend's laptop. His parents said, 'Don't go home anymore because the storm is quite strong. We don't know what will happen because of Ondoy.' It was the next morning when I returned to Marikina," Jerome said using sign language.

It turned out Marikina was among the hardest hit and most flooded areas when Ondoy brought heavy rains on Metro Manila.

"I walked to the bridge, and I saw a lot of damage, cars overturned, many dead, I was very scared. I worried about my family. In the morning, I texted my family, but no one replied. I was really worried about my family if they were safe or not because there was no reply, I sent so many texts, I went to them quickly," he added.

The rains brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy in Metro Manila were the highest recorded in 42 years, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Fifteen years after, Jerome, can still remember the sight and smell of the tragedy that Ondoy has left.

"There were piles of dead bodies, but I didn't really look at them. I was in such a hurry even though the smell was strong. I could smell them, my head hurt because of the smell. Why were there so many dead? I was thinking about my family if they were safe, my parents and my brother," he said.

The local disaster risk reduction and management office uses a siren to alert surrounding communities when the river’s water level rises. But Jerome said the siren is only for those who can hear.

"They only use the siren to warn those who can hear and I can't hear it. My friend would text me, so we would exchange messages about what the announcements were," Jerome said.

At the time of Ondoy, there was not much on the internet and social media was not yet heavily used unlike now when people rely on them for official announcements. 

Jerome said social media has provided a platform for him to know when to prepare during a disaster.

No one left behind

What are the efforts to make the country safe for the Deaf and ensure that in times of calamities, no one is left behind?

In support of the recommendations of the United Nations for Disability-inclusive Climate Action (2020), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF), awarded the Oscar M. Lopez (OML) Center a grant for the implementation of the project “Climate Resilience of the Deaf: Signs for Inclusive Governance and Development” or Project SIGND.

This recognized that persons with disabilities were affected by climate impacts “differently and more severely than others.”

The National Council on Disability said that most disaster interventions were “usually designed for people without disabilities who can rely on walking, running, seeing, hearing or quickly responding to instructions.” 

Perpilili Vivienne Tiongson, Project SIGND co-lead, said the main challenge for the Deaf community was the lack of access and opportunity. 

“They are not given much opportunity and access. In every situation, you will see how much access is not really given to them, especially regarding climate change. And they don’t understand what climate change is,” Tiongson said. 

When Typhoon Ulysses hit the country in 2020, Jerome said he exerted efforts to be more informed about its effects.

“Before I was in college, I didn't know about climate change, what it meant... Climate change is something that I am just learning about. It's already late because there was no awareness then,” he added.

Sign language interpreters on television, especially on the news, are a huge help as well, he said.

"I watch GMA News and they have an interpreter. Whenever there's a typhoon we watch it. There also YouTube. When the typhoon is already near or still far off, if Signal No. 1 has been raised or Signal No. 2, if the storm is already strong. What's on the weather forecast," Jerome said.

Project SIGND

Recognizing the communication barriers that the Deaf are facing, Project SIGND aims to empower the Deaf community to be more involved about climate change, especially vocabulary, and give them accessibility. 

Carolyn Dagani, the project lead of the group who is also deaf, said they created a specific sign for climate change. 

"Before, the old sign was one for climate, and then another for change. So that's climate change. Now, we thought, why not come up with a new sign? Climate change. Just one... It's no longer climate then change," Dagani said through sign language.

"It's just one sign for climate change," she added.

(Describe the sign for climate change here.)

The group conducted work programs, such as developing signs, wherein their staff traveled to various areas to collect signs about the climate change concept to complete the new Filipino Sign Language or FSL vocabulary.  

They also collected studies and interviews on climate change and policies. 

“We called climate scientists. We asked if the concepts are correct, if we understood them right. We didn't know the meaning of those terms," said Jennifer Balan through sign language. She is the group's assistant manager for vocabulary development.

"We were coordinating since then with them to know if the concepts match the signs," she added. 

Signs for rain, lightning, weather, flood, water, landslide, sea wave, sun, temperature, water cycle, wind, adaptation, mitigation, greenhouse gasses/effects, climate change, and carbon footprint are just some of the new FSL vocabulary they created. 

Upon creating this new FSL vocabulary, Project SIGND is hoping that the Deaf will be more included. 

“They don’t have much access to education, justice to health, everything is for the hearing. It takes a while to explain because we, the hearing, explain with words, which is not accessible to them. That is always the challenge,” Tiongson said.

It’s a hearing world

Tiongson emphasized that people live in a hearing world. 

“It’s a hearing world. Language is knowledge because even if you are writing those words, you hear a voice in your head. Because your language is based on sound, our language, spoken language is based on sound. Theirs is not. So, can you imagine if they’re writing words but they cannot hear a voice in their head?”

“Every idea is attached to a sound,” she said.

Tiongson stressed that empowerment is not enough if we don’t understand how to be in their shoes. Inclusivity remains a key factor in helping the community.  

“So if we want things to be inclusive, we have to include them every step of the way and have patience on your end to explain what this is before they can truly be part of the process,” she said.

“If they can make decisions on their own and think what they can do, they can be agents of change kaso lagi lang sila beneficiary. But that can help, showing how the language, knowing that they have the ability to talk about important issues like climate change— they can be change agents,” Tingson added.

Connection

Espijon said when she began work at the PSD only did she realize that many Deaf students need help.

“Ang dami pala mga Deaf na kailangan ng tulong. Nag-decide na rin ako na maging teacher, nag-aral ako na mag-sign language para din makatulong sa kanila. In the first place, para maintindihan ko rin sila –kung saan ba sila nanggagaling, ano ba yung culture nila,” Espijon said.

(Many deaf need help. I decided to become a teacher, I studied sign language to help them. In the first place, so I can understand them, where they're coming from, what their culture is.)

“Na-curious sila magtanong about dun sa climate change. One example is, meron akong student nagtanong siya, Ma'am, bakit po sa ibang lugar, merong mga yelo umuulan tapos, sa iba naman po, sobrang init. Sabi ko, that's the effect of climate change,” she said. 

(They became curious about climate change. I have a student who asked why it snows in some areas and why it is quite hot in others. I said that is the effect of climate change.)

Espijon said learning the language of people with sensory disability will also help her in rearing her child who studies in a Special Education (SPED).

”May anak din kasi ako, SPED din siya. Parang naranasan ko kung siya man mag-isa siya sa mundo, tapos wala tayo. Paano natin sila maga-guide in the future. Parang ba't madidiscriminate din sila? Kaya ako, gusto ko tumulong kahit papaano, sa kahit na anong paraan. Para masabayan mo sila pareho,” she said.

(I have a child who is in special education. I imagine him in a world where we are no longer present. How can they be guided? How can they be protected from discrimination? This is why I wanted to help in any way. So I can be with them.)

However, she admitted it is not an easy job.  

“Honestly, mahirap siya ituro, lalo na kapag hindi mo alam yung mga signs,” she said.

(It's difficult to teach especially if you don't know the signs.)

“Maganda lang siguro yung buhay kung lahat tayo marunong mag-sign. Kahit na yung konting komunikasyon, mabigay mo yun sa kanila. Parang ang hirap kung hindi tayo magtutulungan pare-pareho. Male-left behind talaga sila. So, yun, importante, magtulungan tayo. Connect tayo sa isa't isa,” Espijon said. 

(It would be nice if all of us knew how to sign, to communicate with them even for just a bit. It's difficult if we do not help each other. They will be left behind. So it's important to help each other and connect.) —LDF/NB/GMA Integrated News