Baguio’s College for the Mute
Two mute students
benefited from a project of Easter College that seeks to help the
differently abled cope with their academic work. Now that college is over,
they are urging the government to help other schools set up similar
projects.
By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY – Like
other graduates, excitement was seen in the faces of two very special
students.
 |
To say that Liso P.
Agpas, Jr. and Christopher L. Kulallad cannot express in words their
happiness must be taken literally, because these two graduates are mute.
They are the first differently-abled students to join this year’s
graduates of Easter College in this city last April 1.
Agpas and Kulallad, mute graduates of
Easter College
Photo courtesy of
Northern Dispatch |
Agpas and Kulallad
both earned a Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in Special Education
(SPED). They are products of a special project of Easter
College called Special Action for
the Rehabilitation and Advancement of the Handicapped (SARAH).
Through an
interpreter, Agpas and Kulallad stressed that they joined regular
education classes with other students. A regular class with special
students requires a teacher knowledgeable in sign language. If a teacher
does not know sign language, they request the assistance of the teachers
from SARAH or other students to interpret.
In elementary and
high school, there is a distinct curriculum for special classes for the
differently abled. Speech and sign language are integrated in their
subjects. According to SARAH teachers Marione Dapliyan and Shirley
Fag-ayan, the differently abled students join regular classes in college.
Difficulties in
learning
The son of a Benguet
provincial board member, Agpas admitted that at the start, he found it
difficult adjusting with his classmates since most of them knew nothing
about sign language. Consequently, the SARAH project assisted him. He
sought the help of SARAH teachers in his subjects like Math and English.
Kulallad, whose
parents are from Bontoc, Mountain Province, had the same experience when
he entered the college in 1998. He was particularly shocked to know that
he will be with regular students. He felt sorry for himself when nobody
helped him translate his ideas to regular students, especially after
class.
“But I was able to
overcome it with the help of our SARAH teachers and differently abled
friends,” he said in sign language interpreted by Fag-ayan.
Need for
government support
Agpas and Kulallad
urged the government to establish schools with projects similar to SARAH.
The two were
schoolmates at the Special Education (SPED) in Baguio
City in elementary. Kulallad
studied at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Institute at Bakakeng in this city. With
no high schools for them in Baguio and La Trinidad, Agpas was forced to
study at the School for the Deaf in
Pasay
City, Metro Manila. He sacrificed being away from his family to finish
high school.
Armed with a college
degree, the two said that they will now help other differently abled
people. They said that they are willing to serve as volunteers, as long as
they can share their knowledge and experience.
Supporters of the
SARAH project stressed that education is not only for the physically
normal people but also for those with physical limitations. This is a
reality that the government should address as their role in national
development should also be harnessed, the SARAH teachers said. Northern
Dispatch / Bulatlat
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