The School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) has continued to conduct on-going workplace deaf awareness seminars with selected personnel of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), in view of a recently-signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by SDEAS Dean Nicky Perez and MMDA General Manager Thomas Orbos.
The series of lectures to acquaint and orient staff of the government agency on the basic sign language and sensitivity modules aims to integrate and enhance work relations with Benildean deaf alumni who are slated to be hired under the MOU, to augment its 100-strong Metrobase Operations Center.
The new graduates will likewise undergo a two-week intensive training to familiarize them with operations and procedures.
Under the agreement, DLS-CSB will appoint a Program Coordinator to liaise between the hearing-impaired and the MMDA officials for any concerns, as well as to provide the needed feedback.
Dean Perez proudly states that for years, Benilde has worked at integrating its graduates for mainstream employment. They have served as encoders at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), among many others.
In a statement, Orbos cited studies that showed individuals with hearing disabilities have a sharper sense of sight, which is an advantage for monitoring the more than 300 close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras deployed metrowide to observe traffic in major thoroughfares.
“There are studies which indicate that when a person loses one of the bodily senses, the other senses are more sensitive or heightened. Their visual acuity is sharper,” he stressed.
The MOU also provides for the possible employment of more deaf personnel from DLS-CSB if the effort proves to be a feasible undertaking.
