Sign language instructor Yeo Suh Chan during one her teaching sessions.
WE can tell whether or not a person is happy or sad by looking at his or her face. Likewise, when someone shows the thumbs-up, we know it means ‘good’. Putting an index finger on the lips means ‘be quiet’ and an open palm means ‘stop’.
Basically, these are sign language gestures. People need only see them to get the message. There is no vocal communication, yet what is being communicated is equally effective.
When language, as we know it, had not been invented yet, communication was mainly through sign language — with the help of grunts, screams, cries, laughter and shouts. Body gestures were extremely powerful tools of communication.
In fact, so natural is gesturing in communication that a lot of people do it through facial expressions, hand signs and even body posture. When we talk over the phone, we could still smile, wave our hands or stomp our foot, knowing full well the person at the other end cannot see these physical expressions.
Sign language can be regarded as a language on its own. It has helped people speaking different tongues to communicate with one another and is especially useful for talking to the deaf.
For this reason, more and more people are taking an interest in manual communication as exemplified by the exponential increase of students learning sign language at the Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD) — a clear ‘sign’ to the deaf that our society has not forgotten them.
The SSD students find the lessons and exercises not only very interesting but also stimulating, especially for the brain. Some learners are not aiming for formal certification but just to pick up a useful life skill to help someone should the need arise.
Some of the SSD students have shared with thesundaypost why they decided to join the sign language class.
For nurse Elizabeth Voon, learning to sign is important because she has to communicate with patients from different backgrounds on a daily basis and effective communication is crucial for health workers to provide the correct treatment.
She said since she has to attend to deaf patients, the inability to use sign language would make her job so much harder.
“We had a hard time taking care of deaf patients on two occasions last year. I was quite helpless in communicating with them. It was very difficult getting each other’s messages right. We had to write everything down. After that, I thought it would be helpful if I could do sign language. So I googled for sign language classes in Kuching and found the Sarawak Society for the Deaf.”
She said after finishing the beginners’ level, she planned to go for advance level — most likely next year.
Students from different backgrounds share the same interest in learning sign language as a useful communications skill.
Removing barriers
Chan Hua Chiang, an engineer, said the working environment is for everyone, including the deaf, and mastering sign language skills would remove communication barriers and make the workplace more disabled-friendly.
“It’s sad to see stumbling blocks in the way of building a positive working environment and strong rapport among the deaf and their hearing colleagues. That’s why I feel it’s a great advantage being able to sign when communicating and interact with a deaf co-worker. So I decided to join the SSD class.”
Chan added that besides befriending the deaf, he planned to organise charitable events where sign language skills would come in handy.
His wife, Lee Lai Choo, a retired teacher, said as it was not unusual for people to encounter deaf people in every social setting, learning sign language was, therefore, beneficial, rewarding and worthwhile.
She said she was glad she signed up for the class with her husband because apart from learning a new life skill, they were also able to keep their minds active and sharp.
“Learning sign language is like learning a second language and that’s definitely good for the brain. As members of the public, we should be more exposed to signing. I have met many people using sign language.
“I feel signing is very useful in certain situations. I am a hiker and there are times I find sign language most practical, especially when I’m tired out and breathless and can hardly talk to those a little distance away.
“This is just one example of signing’s usefulness. I do mix around with people from different backgrounds and some are deaf.”
Lee said this was why she brought her husband along for the SSD class in June this year, adding that both of them would often practise signing with each other and “it has turned out to be quite a fun thing to do”.
Ernest Ting teaches the advance level course.
Signing is useful
Veni Tan, a researcher on wildlife-related conservation, said signing is useful in many situations, foremost of which being the ability to communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Tan and her colleagues used to rely on a co-worker as their interpreter at events where members of the Sarawak Society for the Deaf were invited.
She said while they felt fortunate having a colleague with signing skills, they always found themselves in “a complicated situation” when that colleague was not around.
“Written notes work fine for short or uncomplicated interactions. But for anything long and complex, it’s best to have an interpreter — better still if we ourselves know how to sign. That’s why I was motivated to learn sign language. When I found out a former classmate knows how to sign, I became even more interested and promptly enrolled for the class at SSD.”
Tan was, in fact, already interested in taking up sign language when she went to study at a tertiary institution in Sabah, especially after coming to know of a nurse there who could sign very well.
She was impressed by the nurse’s ability to interact with the deaf but due to difficulties in getting transport to the sign language centre, she had to put signing class on hold until she came back to Kuching.
Student nurse Vivian Teo believed sign language could play a vital role in bridging the communication gap with the deaf, noting that communication is not just a part of daily life as it is also the key to building relationships.
“It’s a good skill to master. Imagine how useful signing is for interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds.”
She said since she was a little girl, she had been interested in learning sign language, adding that she used to be fascinated by people signing on the roadside although she didn’t understand what they were saying.
She pointed out that by learning how to sign, she was acquiring a useful skill for her future nursing career as well.
According to Vivian’s sister, Valarie, it’s advantageous for salespersons and retailers to know some sign language when attending to deaf customers.
The ability to sign, she reckoned, might have some commercial value since it could be used to communicate with deaf customers — which makes good business sense.
She said while working as a part-time sales rep with a telecommunications company, she had a hard time dealing with deaf customers. Communication was by writing which was often slow and confusing to both parties.
“Thus, I find learning sign language very practical and valuable. I’m really glad I decided to learn it. Not only will it be useful to my future career, maybe I could also use it to help people during an emergency. I plan to go for the higher level after completing the beginners’ class.”
Different courses
SSD chief administrative officer, Ernest Ting, said the sign language class was set up in 2008 and the intake has increased in recent years.
Previously, the class took in 12 students at most but due to the encouraging response, the number has been raised to 15. Students include professionals like doctors, teachers, accountants, and lawyers.
The class is conducted in BIM (Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia) and SWSL (Sarawak Sign Language).
“There are three levels — basic, level one and interpreting. For the basic course, students learn simple words and sentences. In level one, they will be exposed to proper sentence structures and ways to communicate with deaf people.
“We are now trying to train up more interpreters — they are the ones who have completed the basic and level one courses,” said Ting who is also an SSD liaison officer.
According to him, the class is open to all interested in learning sign language.
He said there are many overseas primary schools teaching sign language because they recognise the importance of this aspect of education.
On addressing etiquette, Ting said most deaf people preferred to be simply called deaf.
“There is no need for euphemisms like hearing impairment, hearing loss, hearing disability or affection of the ear although crude terms like deaf and dumb or deaf and mute should be avoided.”
Sign language classes are held every Monday and Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9pm at the Sarawak Society for the Deaf, Lorong Laksamana 8, off Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho.