Children enjoying batik painting activity during the International Week of the Deaf celebration in Kuala Lumpur. — Photos: AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
More can take up Malaysian Sign Language to interact with deaf community and offer assistance
PUSAT Majudiri “Y” for the Deaf (PMY) aspires to bridge the communication gap with the hearing-impaired community by increasing people’s awareness about Malaysian Sign Language (BIM).
PMY chairman A. Lokanathan said it was important for hearing Malaysians to learn BIM so that they could interact easily with those from the deaf community.
“The deaf community forms approximately 7.4% of the Malaysian population.
“Within this group of people, around 52,000 of them are children and teenagers who were born deaf.
“Therefore, Malaysians should really pick up BIM to establish a communication channel between the hearing and deaf communities.
Lokanathan hopes 10,000 to 20,000 Malaysians will learn BIM within the next three years.
“We also hope to collaborate with government departments and Education Ministry to craft curriculum for interested students to learn BIM in schools.
“I would call it a success if we can get 10,000 to 20,000 Malaysians to learn BIM in the next two or three years,” he said during the International Week of the Deaf celebration that took place at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Kuala Lumpur.
The celebration organised by PMY attracted almost 400 participants, with the majority coming from the hearing-impaired community.
Lokanathan also hoped that more such events would be organised in the future to improve the life of the deaf community.
“In PMY, we are dedicated to organising events that can help the deaf community be independent.
“We do not wish to blindly provide aid for them and indirectly make them overly dependent on others.
Parimala wants Malaysians to learn BIM as it may save lives during emergencies.
“The public should not be worried when meeting people with disabilities. They are just normal human beings,” he added.
BIM tutor and translator Harry Chong, who was born deaf, said learning sign language could help build relationships between the hearing and deaf communities.
“Many hearing Malaysians are still not aware of BIM.
“Hence, I hope more such events could be organised in the future to further spread awareness,” said Chong, who is also the leader of DeafBeat, a PMY project run by a group of deaf percussionists who play Chinese drums.
Meanwhile, a PMY volunteer who gave her name as Parimala, 38, urged Malaysians to learn BIM as “it could save lives”.
“In times of emergency, knowledge of BIM could really save lives as hearing Malaysians could come forward to help those from the deaf community who might find it difficult to seek help,” she said.
Participants singing the national anthem using Malaysian Sign Language.
Meanwhile, another PMY volunteer known only as Hussein, 37, hoped for more opportunities to be granted to the deaf community to involve themselves in society.
“It has been challenging for the deaf community to involve themselves in the development of the nation and country.
“Organisations like PMY and YMCA have been doing a great job in this area.
“With this event, I hope more opportunities can be granted to the deaf community,” he said.
During the celebration, participants learned about sign language and screening for hearing, via talks by experts.
Hearing-impaired children spent quality time with their parents painting batik during one of the side events.
They also received school uniforms and hearing aids donated by PMY.
Other events included a hearing screening organised by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, a deaf simulation activity themed “Journey into the Deaf World”, and a BIM class.
