DEAF-MUTE FOR A DAY: A Social Experiment Experience

SOCIAL EXPERIMENT IN UP DILIMAN

For our group's social experiment, we chose to pretend to be deaf-mute people, and observe the responses and attitudes of people around U.P. Diliman towards deaf-mutes, and if the facilities and services around the campus are deaf-mute friendly. Dominique and I, pretended to be deaf-mute friends touring the campus. Pauline, made observations and notes during our social experiment. We didn't really master sign language conversations, but we do studied some basic sign language words. Basically, we just enumerated some sign language expressions and words all throughout the social experiment. Amazingly, our conversation skills was convincing.

Behavior of people when they see you using sign language





Before starting the social experiment and also based from my previous experiences, I expected that people around us would be quite intrigued and be staring at us. However, it was quite surprising that only a few stared or glared at us. There was even an encounter with someone who knows how to use sign language (that story was embarrassing hehe). But still, there are some people who are still very intrigued, and see deaf-mute as unusual. Like, the woman in Shopping Center who stared at us while we are having a sign-language conversation. When we asked her after the experiment, she told us that she seldom see people talking in sign language and thought of it as something "not normal". 








Priority given to you by others

We didn't have much interaction with other people, but Dom's experience with ordering food at Area 2 showed how most establishments and personnel are aware of the needs and assistance of deaf-mute people. Menus are posted and the cashier let Dom point-out her order. Jeepneeys in UP Diliman are also PWD friendly, because there are buzzers to push and strings to pull to stop. Unlike other disablities, deaf-mute people are more free to move and do the usual things, but it is good to see establishments and people in UP who are accommodating and kind to them.

Which of your expectations were met?

Before the start of our social experiment, I expect that most people we would encounter will be helpful an would give us assistance. True enough, people were able to help and give a helping hand to us (when Dom ordered  at Area 2, when Dom rode a jeepney and the kuya told Manong Driver that papara na si Dom). I believe more and more people are now aware of the needs and nature of deaf-mute people, and I hope this kind of attitude stems out to more communities outside UP. 

What experiences went to counter to your expectation?

Surprisingly, we didn't really expect that we can encounter someone who knows how to use sign language. We were so embarrassed when that lady tried to have a conversation with us with sign language, but we can't respond. We immediately get down from the jeep. It was a funny experience, but we were also delighted to see that there are people, even though not deaf or mute, who study and know sign language, and mingle with deaf-mute people. That was a super thumbs up!

THOUGHTS ON SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT

SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT

SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT is a provision of productive work for PWDs through workshops providing special facilities, income producing projects or homework schemes. 

From the video we watched from our EDSP 101 class about sheltered employment, I believe that this source of employment is beneficial and fosters learning, productivity, and self-esteem for people with disabilities and special needs. Though mostly vocational, sheltered employment gives PWDs the right to be provided work that accommodates their disability. 

In the US, people with special needs who are to enter sheltered employment, are being trained and educated by certain institutions dedicated in harnessing the talents and abilities of people with special needs. Like from the video we saw in class, a certain institution started a Shoebox project as a tool in educating them with the routines and process needed for sheltered employment.

In the Philippines, as stated in Section 6 of the RA 7277 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities:

If suitable employment for disabled persons cannot be found through open employment as provided in the immediately preceding Section (Section 5: Equal Opportunity for Employment), the State shall endeavor to provide it by means of sheltered employment. In the placement of disabled persons in sheltered employment, it shall accord due regard to the individual qualities, vocational goals and inclinations to ensure a good working atmosphere and efficient production.

 

As stated here, the State is responsible for providing such centers if some PWDs experience a lack of opportunities and suitable employment. The end goal is to enable them to work in integrated work spaces.

Like in the US, the Philippines also provides training in order to develop skills for employment. In Section 9 of RA 7277 it is stated that:

The State shall also take measures to ensure the provisions of vocational rehabilitation and livelihood services for disabled persons in the rural areas. In addition, it shall promote cooperation and coordination between the government and non-government organization and other private entities engaged in vocational rehabilitation activities.

 The Department of Social Welfare and Development shall design and implement training programs that will provide disabled persons with vocational skills to enable them to engage in livelihood activities or obtain gainful employment. 

The Department of Labor and Employment shall likewise design and conduct training programs geared towards providing disabled persons with skills for livelihood.

These provisions provided by the State gives equal opportunities and privileges to people with disabilities. Furthermore, it shapes a society that acknowledges the abilities and contributions of people with disabilities to our country.

References: 

http://www.autismsocietyphilippines.org/2010/09/pwd-employment-rights-and-privileges.html

https://www.kalibrr.com/advice/2015/09/rights-every-working-pwd-should-know-about/

A LOVE FOR COMPASSION

COMPASSION: A BELIEF THAT BRINGS RELIEF

"By compassion we make others' misery our own, and so, by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also" - Thomas Browne Sr.

Not everyone will accomplish great things, but anyone can show compassion. The younger version of myself wanted to make a difference in people's lives, but my grades weren't great, I didn't have any outstanding talents, and speaking to a group of more than four or five friends made me really nervous.

Dear God, I prayed one night as my eyes welled up with tears. I want you to use me, but I don't have anything worth using. I drifted to sleep before the tears dried on my cheeks.

The next day, while sitting at lunch with my friends, I noticed a new kid sitting by herself at a corner table. I had never seen her before but, looking at the kid's sad face, I was suddenly overwhelmed with compassion. Before I knew it, I was sitting next to the kid, asking her questions. By the end of the day, we decided to hang out at the mall the next weekend.

That afternoon, while sitting on the bus going home, I realized, I may not be the most gifted person, but I can love people! My life was never the same. The next day, I began looking for kids to love, kids who no one else noticed, the kind of kids everyone else mistreated. 

That experience strengthened my belief in the beauty brought about by compassion. Compassion doesn't mean feeling sorry for someone who needs help and doing something about it. It means seeing people the way God sees them, and then being available to be used by God to heal them. More lives have been changed through simple acts of compassion than through all the great speakers and gifted personalities in the world. 

There are 4 things that compassion can do:
1. Comfort a hurting heart
2. Open the door for healing
3. Affirm that every life has a value
4. Introduce someone to God's love

At present, I volunteer in teaching children and reaching out to people in need of medical assistance by joining medical missions. I am also looking forward in becoming a volunteer teacher for children with special needs in orphanages and social development centers. This belief helped me realize that small acts of kindness and compassion can save lives and change the world. We are blessed to bless others, and we are loved to love others. 

THE NORM, THE DISABILITY, AND THE SOCIETY

How Does Society View and Treat People/Ideas That Go Against The Norm?

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary norm  is defined as an accepted standard or a way of behaving or doing things that most people agree with.

NORMS are an integral part of the organization of all societies, from small tribal groups to modern industrial societies. A majority of these societies expect each member to act according to the laws, morals, acts, and values set by that society. Norms are learned and transmitted in groups from generation to generation. In this way, individuals have incorporated into their own life organization of the language, ideas, and beliefs of the groups to which they belong. Human beings thus see the world not with their eyes alone, for if they saw only with their own eyes, each would see the same thing; rather, they see the world through their cultural and other group experiences. 

Norm can also be defined in terms of Deviance. At the simplest level, deviance refers to something that is different from something else. Deviants are not like “us.” “They” behave differently.

In the past and even for some present societies, a deviant person is often being judged and condemned. In the past, during the eras of extermination and ridicule, people who go against the norm, like those with disability are treated badly and is secluded in the society.

In the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda asks God for deliverance and help for the outcasts. Deviant people during those times are considered outcasts and are kept hidden in the society, like the main character of the story, Quasimodo. 

Disability can be regarded as deviant from a number of perspectives. A person with a disability, because of the limitations imposed on the disabled person's range of activities, but chiefly because of the self-reaction to the person's disability, is often thought to occupy a deviant status, much like that of a minority group member who may experience prejudice and discriminatory treatment from others. (Deegan, 1985)

Not everyone considers persons with physical disabilities to be deviant. 

The reaction of others seems to depend on certain characteristics of the person, the disability, and the social situation. But insofar as disabilities entail departure from social expectation, social stigma is always a possibility for persons with disabilities.

Reference: Sociology of Deviant Behavior (7th edition) by Marshall B. Clinard & Robert F. Meier