Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Person

Disability Informercials from the Philippines
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), the Philippine government agency tasked to lead and monitor disability related activities and policies, recently uploaded two 30-second video informercials in YouTube. They were both professionally done. I believe they can have a great impact on the disability awareness and promoting the rights of Persons With Disabil...
Sun, Jan 24 2010

Happy 2010!
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers The past year has brought both hardships and triumphs in our lives. The weather was a disaster. The economy was in a see-saw. Most people say that they became poorer in 2009 than in the past years. One good thing I love being with the Deaf (at least from those whom I am associated with) [...]
Tue, Jan 05 2010

Christmas Share-a-Toy to Poor Deaf Kids
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Children are often the center of attention during Christmas. But Deaf children? What about children with other disabilities or are abandoned and uncared for? Even children who are deaf understands and feels what its like to receive gifts. Although most of the time, their parents don't explain to them the meaning of the season. Why? Because they don't know how to sign....
Sat, Jan 02 2010

Christmas Share-a-Toy to Deaf Kids
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Children are often the center of attention during Christmas. But Deaf children? What about children with other disabilities or are abandoned and uncared for? Even children who are deaf understands and feels what its like to receive gifts. Although most of the time, their parents don't explain to them the meaning of the season. Why? Because they don't know how to sign....
Sat, Jan 02 2010

“In her life” short video
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Watch this 5-minute video about a deaf-blind person and her family. The characters are just fictional. It is presented in sign language. The short video was done by 2nd year students of MCCID College of Technology as part of their Deaf Culture subject. Enjoy!!! Posted in Deaf Video Tagged: Jepa Basilio [...]
Fri, Dec 11 2009

My List of Deaf Related Groups in Facebook
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers With the fear of getting removed constantly entering my paranoid mind, I might as well share with you a list of my favorite Facebook deaf related groups and pages before it’s too late.
Wed, Dec 09 2009

Cell phones for Deaf People? Great!
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Facial expressions are really important in sign language because they supplement the signs and provide a lot of information. They concluded that their cell phone video would have to be clearest in the face and hands, while they could spare some detail in the torso and in the background.
Fri, Dec 04 2009

Interpreting 101: To mouth or not to mouth?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers She said that the Department of Education is advocating for TOTAL COMMUNICATION and MOUTHING WORDS must be emphasized in teaching. She even commented that the interpreter hired by the organizer was a "pasaway" (too stubborn) because she signs while her mouth is closed. Ouch!
Mon, Nov 30 2009

On Parenting, Acceptance and Education
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers In May 2009, Micaella died of liver ailment, apparently due to the condition in the estero where she lived to get an education. She was one of the CMDP scholars. She died in order to get an education. Such a sorry state in our country's educational system.
Sun, Nov 29 2009

Yay! First 80,000 visits!
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I want to remember the 10,000th blogs visitors so here I am again! To coin Hiro Nakamura of Heroes, Yatta! hehehe More than two months and fourteen blog posts later, I was able to entice 10,000 readers to come to my site. In my visitor profile, the segmentation remains the same. 41% came from my home [...]
Wed, Nov 25 2009

Deaf Designed Site won Best Organization Website
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers This is the first time NCDA site won the award given annually by the DigitalFilipino.com Club whose members judge the nominations from the public in over 40 categories. The site was designed by Ervin Reyes, an award winning Deaf web designer together with yours truly under MCCID College of Technology.
Tue, Nov 17 2009

Country Sign Name
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers At first, it was difficult to introduce ourselves because of the sign language barrier. But when we got the hang of it, we let loose our signs. We were able to penetrate their conversations and understand their signs. All in but a few minutes of "getting to know" them.
Fri, Nov 13 2009

Deaf Awareness Week, November 8-14, 2009
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers This entry is to shout out the yearly celebration of Deaf Awareness Week in the Philippines. The Department of Education issued a memorandum to all Bureau Directors, Regional Directors Schools Division/City Superintendents, Heads, Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools Special Education Centers and schools with deaf in pursuant to Presidential Proclamati...
Thu, Nov 05 2009

Four Common Myths about Deaf People
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Although most people would probably say they would rather be deaf than blind, studies show that deaf people represent the most isolated group of disabled individuals. Their ability to communicate is hindered by the fact that few hearing people know and understand sign language. But then again, deaf people can excel in many ways if only we hearing people learn to remov...
Mon, Oct 26 2009

Five Common Myths about Deaf People
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Although most people would probably say they would rather be deaf than blind, studies show that deaf people represent the most isolated group of disabled individuals. Their ability to communicate is hindered by the fact that few hearing people know and understand sign language. But then again, deaf people can excel in many ways if only we hearing people learn to remov...
Sun, Oct 25 2009

Cure for deafness soon a reality?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I got hold of this news article from BBC while I was doing some research on cochlear implants. This breakthrough technology is very promising. Although I may add this among my Christmas wish this December, I don't think Santa Claus will grant me this one in the near future. Advanced Merry Christmas, everyone! [...]
Sat, Oct 17 2009

Inclusive education, is it fit for the deaf?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers This issue has been discussed and debated countless times with hearing people as protagonists. We have been dictating education to them since "education" was invented. Deaf education in the Philippines started more than 100 years ago. Has there been an improvement since then? Don't we think it's about time that the deaf people should be more involved in these discussi...
Wed, Oct 14 2009

What’s going on with Deafread.com?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I suggest DeafRead creates a separate category for those who blog about their CI experiences and being an oralist. People who write about these topics are, in my opinion, already considered as non-deaf or hearing people. As such, they don't belong to DeafRead anymore.
Wed, Sep 23 2009

Puerto Princesa Underground River, One of the World’s...
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I promised myself, “I have to blog this place!” This splendid river is purely awesome! This is God's wonderful creation in progress! When Sister Sarah Sta. Ana, the lovely hearing wife of Deaf Pastor Isagani Sta. Ana texted me inviting me to conduct sign language training in their province, I immediately said yes. I could not [...]
Tue, Sep 22 2009

Yay! First 70,000 visits!
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I promise to mark my 10,000th visits with a blog post so here I am! In less than two months my blog had been visited 10,000 times! Hooray for me! hehehe So far this is the only time when I blogged the least number of posts (only eight as compared to nine two months ago and [...]
Tue, Sep 22 2009

Deaf Athletes Debut in Deaflympics
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers The Philippine Deaf Team participated for the first time in the Summer Deaflympics. Now on its 21st year, this game was held recently in Taipei, Taiwan. More than 100 countries participated in this year's games. Despite having a shoestring budget, which is a common situation for sports athletes from the Philippines, our country was able to [...]
Sun, Sep 13 2009

My Korean Experience with the Deaf
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I thought that Asian countries are alike in many ways. I may also equate these perception for deaf communities. But I was mistaken. Probably because of the sign language. Koreans have their own distinct sign language which, I was told, was basically the same as the Japanese sign language.
Thu, Aug 13 2009

National TV interviews Filipino Deaf Actor
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Here is a 2-minute video interview of Dinig Sana Kita's deaf actor Romalito Mallari by GMA Network News “24 Oras“. Enjoy! Sorry to my English speaking readers. This video is in our Tagalog language and has no closed caption. Posted in Deaf Video Tagged: Dinig Sana Kita, Romalito Mallari
Thu, Jul 30 2009

Common misconceptions when hiring Deaf workers
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers “Sorry, we can’t hire them because… they can’t hear my instructions, we don’t know sign language and have to hire a sign language interpreter just to accommodate them, the deaf can’t hear their voices so they cannot control them, it will be difficult to talk to them, they can't understand English or Tagalog, they can't lipread, I don’t have time to write instructions,...
Wed, Jul 29 2009

“Dinig Sana Kita” 2nd Top grosser
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Mike Sandejas’ “Dinig Sana Kita,” featuring his daughter Zoe and deaf performer Rome Mallari became the second top grossing film behind Dennis Trillo's “Astig”. The movie, about a deaf boy who loves to dance and a troubled rocker girl who abuses her hearing, sold a total of 2,080 tickets, amounting to P125,480 as against [...]
Sun, Jul 26 2009

Bloggers can cover 2010 polls
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers I may only identify these shortfalls from the perspective and experiences of Persons with Disabilities. They might not be a great force to reckon with nor depend upon to increase the candidate's chances of winning. Still they are citizens who have rights and should exercise them without malice and prejudice.
Fri, Jul 17 2009

Being deaf shortens theif’s jail term
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers It seems that the judge is in a quandary as to how to deal with the accused. She has been languishing in jail for more than two years and her case hasn't been arraigned because of their difficulty in communicating with her. So the only legal solution is to set her free.
Thu, Jul 02 2009

Deaf? Here’s free proof that you can hear!N
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers The wonderful Acousticon has now enabled more than 400,000 deaf persons to hear. We are sure it will do the same for you.
Sun, Jun 07 2009

Deaf People and the Filipino Catholic Faith
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers In 1605, St. Francis De Sales took care and gave education to an indigent young man named Martin, a deaf-mute from birth. The man came almost daily to a house in Roche, France, where Bishop de Sales was staying, to ask for alms.
Sat, Jun 06 2009

Hearing people as the minority
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers From the 300 or so participants of the Deaf Camp, I estimate that there are only around 20 of us who can hear. We are not even 10% of the total attendees! We really belong to the minority.
Wed, May 27 2009

“Dinig Sana Kita” (If I knew what you said) Trailer
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Guys, please watch "Dinig Sana Kita", a touching love story between a deaf dancer and a rocker girl who became close to each other while staying in a Baguio camp.
Sun, May 24 2009

My tribute to the First Philippine Website for the Deaf
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers The first site that I dabbled was the Official Website of Manila Christian Computer Institute for the Deaf which was then called MCCID Online. I can proudly say that in 1997, we were the first school for the deaf, probably even the first in Asia that went online.
Wed, May 20 2009

Marlee Matlin’s Scream
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers International Deaf Icon Marlee Matlin has recently published her autobiography “I'll Scream Later”. She also guested at CNN's Larry King Live which I failed to watch. (sigh) Her book's revelations about dealing with drug addiction at age 21 while receiving news of her Oscar nomination at the Betty Ford Center and being abused by her [......
Sun, May 10 2009

Deaf encoders pass government exam
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers In my previous post entitled “More Deaf people are given chance for work“, I congratulated all of our deaf alumni who are currently working as encoders in the passport division of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). I also encouraged them to be more patient and faithful with their work because opportunities like this are [...]
Tue, Apr 21 2009

Deaf encoders pass TESDA exams
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers In my previous post entitled “More Deaf people are given chance for work“, I congratulated all of our deaf alumni who are currently working as encoders in the passport division of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). I also encouraged them to be more patient and faithful with their work because opportunities like this are [...]
Tue, Apr 21 2009

Can depression lead to deafness?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Can pregnant women suffering from severe depression cause deafness of their child? Is there a psychological connection between a mother and her unborn baby which can affect the development of his senses?
Sun, Mar 29 2009

Philippine National Anthem Video in Filipino Sign Language
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Watch this 1.24-minute video-dramatization of the Philippine National Anthem signed by deaf students using Filipino Sign Language. The nineteenth century costumes were used highlighting the country's condition and uprising against colonial Spanish era. It has both Tagalog and English captions. The presentation was videotaped behind the picturesque mountains of S...
Fri, Mar 27 2009

Philippine Supreme Court Hires its First Deaf Employee
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers This is a welcome news amidst a series of depressing ones. After hearing from known economists painting a bleak outlook on the employment opportunities for Filipinos, here comes a good news. Another deaf person overcame his disability and became the first. In a precedent-setting move, Chief Justice Reynato Puno approved the application of Arthur [...]
Tue, Mar 24 2009

First Philippine Animation Magazine to be launched on March...
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers The first Philippine Animation Magazine will be launched on March 26, 2009 5:00 pm at Central Plaza Eastwood City. Everyone is invited. Ms. Lina Valdez, Animation Magazine's Marketing Director explained that, “The magazine aims to promote awareness about the local animation industry for the general public. It’s unknown to many Filipinos that the cartoon...
Sat, Mar 21 2009

How to say “excuse me” when passing through deaf people
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Let's say there are a group of deaf people chatting down the hallway or any passage where there is no other access in going to the other side except passing through them. Now what would you do? How will you deal with it without being rude and respectful of their rights and feelings? Watch this short amusing yet reality video to find out. :-)
Fri, Mar 13 2009

Ervin Reyes, the Philippines’ Top Deaf IT Expert
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers This is the second of a series of features that focuses on famous or notable Filipino Deaf. It’s my way of recognizing their feats and showcase their successes all over the world. Ervin Ruiz Reyes, has been the Deaf Coordinator of Manila Christian Computer Institute for the Deaf (now MCCID College of Technology) for over seventeen [...]
Mon, Mar 09 2009

The Amazing Mom of Luke
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers One amazing quality I find in her is that Margie is a signing Mom! Ever since I started teaching for the deaf in 1991, I can barely count in my two hands the number of moms who are skilled signers. Forget about being a SKILLED signer. A simple day-to-day conversational signing is good enough for me. Yet, even with that minimum ability, I can hardly find one. It's a tr...
Fri, Mar 06 2009

Search for Pinoy Deaf Star
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers To all those aspiring Filipino Deaf who wants to become a star, now is your chance. The Dulaang Tahimik ng Pilipinas (DTP) announced that they are going to hold a Deaf talent search. My deaf friends Jennifer Balan and Richard Sunico sent me this invitation together with the poster below. WHAT: “THE SEARCH FOR PINOY DEAF [...]
Mon, Mar 02 2009

How successful is a deaf marrying a hearing person?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers After reading this blog post about a romantic relationship between a hearing and a deaf that works, I started to ponder on it based on what I observed here in the Philippines. This post is very timely because sweet smelling love is in the air during this Valentine's day. A few days ago, I was surprisingly [...]
Sat, Feb 14 2009

Philippine TV showcased Deaf video commercial spoof
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Here is a video excerpt with English sub-title of the Abs-Cbn Documentary Abs-cbn TV Special “Upload 2008
Wed, Feb 04 2009

What’s in a Sign Name? Second Part
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Sign names play an integral part of being a deaf and belonging to a Deaf community. You are not "in" if you don't have a sign name. It's either you are an irrelevant person from the eyes of the Deaf or you are too significant that a special sign must be assigned to you. Here are what I observed:
Sun, Feb 01 2009

My 3rd Mini-web design conference experience: Exposing them...
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Since my topic is about proper use of ALT text, I can easily promote accessibility issues for the visually impaired. However, it’s the concerns of deaf people whom I’m having difficulty inserting into my talk. You see, the only significant accessibility issue applied for the deaf is the use (or non-use) of closed captions on videos posted on the Internet. So how can I...
Wed, Jan 28 2009

DepEd to strengthen Special Education
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers After reading this news article posted in People's Journal Online Edition today, I felt it's good to put it in my blog as a living proof that the Department of Education has promised not to neglect the special education programs. Hearing impairment is one of those disabilities that form part of the special education system. This [...]
Sat, Jan 24 2009

Cebu Pacific Replies
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers Here is the response from the Cebu Pacific Guest Services Head Mr. Ivan Gaw from the letter sent by Sen. Mar Roxas through Blogger Kevin Ray: Dear Mr Kevin Ray Chua, Greetings from Cebu Pacific! Ms Rosita Menchaca, VP of Passenger Service of Cebu Pacific Air, endorsed to me the letter form Atty Blas James Viterbo of the [...]
Wed, Jan 21 2009

What’s in a Sign Name?
Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Pers A few hours from now, the American nation will be witnessing a historic event. The most powerful nation in the world will inaugurate its first African-American president in history, Barack Obama. Most of the news articles on DeafRead are related to that momentous event. The most popular blog post happens to be the sign name [...]
Mon, Jan 19 2009