On October 30, 2018, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11106 or The Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Act into law, declaring FSL as the national sign language of the Filipino Deaf and the official sign language of the government in all its transactions involving the Deaf. The law also mandates the use of FSL in schools, broadcast media, and workplaces.

In the project “Climate Resilience of the Deaf: Signs for Inclusive Governance and Development” (Project SIGND), we have been putting this into practice for over two years. Here, the Oscar M. Lopez Center collaborates with Deaf-led organizations to increase the Deaf’s ability to prepare for and adapt to climate-related risks and disasters. 

FSL is the primary language the Deaf and hearing staff members and managers use to communicate with each other. This is crucial to enable the Deaf to fully participate in the workplace alongside their hearing colleagues. 

Rommel Lo is a Deaf policy specialist who is part of a majority-hearing team that has developed policy briefs which present the current landscape of policies related to the Deaf, gaps and challenges based on these policies, and recommendations to address these. He has seen how much easier it is to relate to his colleagues, and vice versa, now that his colleagues have learned FSL. 

“When we started, I saw the hearing people and Deaf people in separate groups, chatting only within their group. Since I could not chat with the hearing people, I would type the text on my device and let them read my messages on the screen. Sometimes I would even write on paper to communicate with them,” Lo recalls. “Until they learned how to sign the alphabet, how to convey their message through gestures, and how to use FSL. I’m proud of them for pushing through, and now I’m really happy that we are able to communicate with each other. The process has been slow but sure.” 

Jennifer Balan, the Deaf assistant manager of the team in charge of developing FSL vocabulary for climate- and disaster-related concepts, remembers what it was like at a previous job before the FSL law was enacted. Her hearing colleagues would communicate with her mainly through writing, although they learned a few FSL signs so they could at least greet her.

“During Christmas parties and other events, I would just sit by myself since there was no interpreter. Everyone else was talking among themselves, while I would just go home early because I couldn’t socialize with them,” she recalls. “I wish they had learned how to sign.”

For Balan, there should be reasonable accommodations for the Deaf in the workplace. “The Deaf and the hearing should grow parallel to each other. They should advance at the same time. The Deaf shouldn’t be left behind.”

The presence of FSL interpreters during the activities of Project SIGND is vital in making her feel included, she says. It allows her to interact with her hearing colleagues better. It also allows her to understand technical and scientific concepts related to climate change, because she is able to clarify them with the climate science experts in conversations that are facilitated by FSL interpreters.

By knowing that sign language is an important part of Deaf culture, the hearing members of the team have also realized that they must provide information in a format that is accessible to the Deaf.

Balan recommends the use of visual aids so that they will be able to absorb information better. When Project SIGND’s climate science experts explain technical concepts, for example, they use many pictures to illustrate these ideas.

Balan also notes that if text must be used, English is preferred over Filipino. 

“We were not taught Filipino in school. We used English more often in the classroom setting,” she explains. 

Of course, this also depends on the educational attainment of the Deaf person. It is possible that he or she may understand Filipino, but it is always better to ask.

But apart from the use of FSL, the presence of FSL interpreters, and the acknowledgement of FSL as part of Deaf culture, there are other practices that the team has adopted to ensure that the Deaf members feel included in the workplace. 

For example, Lo’s teammates are always willing to explain to him things he doesn’t understand, especially since policymaking involves a lot of jargon. In turn, they are also eager to listen to what he has to share when it comes to advocating for the Deaf. 

They also think of solutions together, and for Lo, there is power in this kind of collaboration between the Deaf and the hearing.

Another crucial component in inclusion is the immersion in each other’s culture. “They’re exposed to the Deaf, and I’m exposed to the hearing. Because of this, we have a good working relationship,” Lo says.

“Sometimes, hearing people’s opinions about Deaf affairs are strong because they may not yet have been exposed to our culture. So when we have discussions, I would just give in to their opinions. But because my team is exposed to my culture, they are willing to listen to my opinions, as well. I feel so satisfied now,” he adds. 

There are also regular check-ins with the hearing and Deaf members to figure out where each group is coming from, and what it has been like for the two to work with each other. These discussions provide perspective to their interactions, and hopefully allow them to better adjust to each other’s culture. 

(Read the first part of this story, which focuses on how the hearing members of Project SIGND made changes so that their Deaf colleagues could have a workplace that was inclusive: https://www.omlopezcenter.org/buwan-ng-wika-what-weve-learned-about-language-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/)