An extract from Straits Times:
More signing up to learn sign language
'Hip' factor one of the reasons for interest
By Leow Si Wan
MORE people here are picking up another language: signing.
At the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), the take-up for sign language classes has jumped in the past year.
The last term of the year, which started last month, drew 17 classes. It is a spike of more than 50 per cent over the same period last year.
The classes are conducted from January to October every year, with each term lasting two months.
The overall number of participants in a year has also jumped more than 40 per cent, from 1,067 last year to more than 1,500 this year.
Most of the participants are from the hearing community, said the association's executive director, Mr Ando Yeo.
He cited several reasons for the increased interest in sign language.
'It is hip,' he said. 'Also, sign language is a visual language and can work extremely well in a noisy environment. As long as you can see a person signing, communication can take place.'
He added that others sign up to interact with deaf and hard-of-hearing family members and friends, and also because they want to volunteer their services to the deaf. Some, he added, go on to pursue sign language interpreters' positions with SADeaf.
While all these reasons were in the past, the association has been actively promoting sign language as a mode of communication over the past couple of years.
There are about 35,000 people here who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Courses are open to anyone who is proficient in English and at least 16 years old. Fees start at $12 for two three-hour sessions for the introductory level, and are $85 for six lessons at the advanced stage.
'Demand is rising so quickly that we have to increase the number of classes each week. We used to have classes on three weekday evenings, but we are conducting classes on weekends now.'
Classes are conducted at the association's two-storey premises in Mountbatten Road.
SADeaf is now in talks to offer classes at public libraries and other institutes of higher learning to cope with the increased demand.
For Ms Felicia Chia, the desire to communicate with her ex-boyfriend's deaf parents was what made her pick up sign language earlier this year.
Said the 21-year-old business undergraduate at the Singapore Management University: 'We broke up but I decided to continue because I found lessons interesting. It is not just about gestures, as your facial expressions and body language also contribute to the tone of your message.
'I also realised that there is a lack of interpreters for the deaf community so I hope this is where I can contribute when I have completed the course.'
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Another interesting News:
Dancers 'hear' the beat of hip hop music
BOTH picked up sign language out of sheer interest two years ago.
And when their instructors realised they were trained hip hop dancers, they asked Mr Jason Koo, 29, and Ms Nix Sang, 28, to choreograph some simple dance steps for a public performance by the deaf.
But the couple, who have been dancing for more than five years, went one further and set up a hip hop dance group for the hearing-impaired to share their passion.
The group, called Redeafination, was officially set up in July last year. It aims to redefine dance and build a community of deaf dancers.
The self-funded, non-profit group levies a nominal membership fee of $15 every three months and uses the money for its operating expenses.
Its members train once a week for about two hours in a rented studio in Cuppage Plaza in Orchard Road.
Mr Koo, who works in the IT industry, and Ms Sang, a designer, are the instructors, but they invite their friends from the dance circles to be guest instructors so members of the club are exposed to different dance styles.
Of the 13 members, nine are hearing-impaired to varying degrees. Some can hear low-pitched sounds, and the bass sounds which typically accompany hip hop music serve as a guide to them.
Those with severe hearing loss follow the class by looking to the instructors to count visually by clapping their hands, so they internalise the beats.
Group member Rebecca Lim, 25, a polytechnic student, and Jonathan Khoo, 27, a clerk, said learning how to dance has been fun.
To make up for being unable to hear, they work hard at practising and memorising the choreography.
To date, the group has given 11 public performances, the most significant being a full-length dance concert organised by the Nanyang Technological University's Modern Jazz Club.
Said Mr Koo: 'We have long discussions with our deaf friends on how to better communicate with them, and we improvise and improve along the way.'
He added that when Redeafination started out, the idea of formal dance training for the deaf was new, so he and Ms Sang had little support in terms of infrastructure and understanding.
Ms Sang said funding, recruitment and finding partner organisations were continuing challenges.
She said: 'We've persisted in this cause because the bond has been formed and the work is not finished. There are a million reasons to stop but we remember those moments on stage when we can feel the audience understands, and this is enough to keep everyone going.'
The duo hope to reach out to more deaf youth and inspire others to start similar initiatives for special-needs groups.
Social worker Cheng Hwee Fern, a hearing member of the club, said her fellow dancers motivated her.
Said the 31-year-old: 'Many of them have a very good sense of movement, coordination and groove, learn steps faster than I do, and have a better memory. They are also very willing to teach me and we learn together.'
