Table of Contents

IV. Solidarity and Organizations of the Deaf in Asia and the Pacific

A. Nature of the problem

Until recently in the Asian and Pacific region, excluding Australia and New Zealand, there have been few deaf organizations that are autonomously managed, with a strong organizational structure, and performing significant activities. Establishing national organizations for the deaf is no easy task. The lack of such organizations in Asia and the Pacific does not detract from the solidarity of the deaf associations in the region. However, as the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) found through its early work in Japan, the driving force in achieving full participation and equality for people with disabilities is the organizations and movements of people with disabilities themselves. To achieve the important goal of consultative status with governments and to influence policy and decision-making in their own countries, self-help organizations need to address the issue of representation.

To assist in building the capacity of local organizations to come together and effectively advocate for the rights and needs of deaf people, JFD has focused its international aid programme on organizational support. It also drew on its past experiences in Japan to support other countries in the Asian and Pacific region to develop and strengthen their organizations and activities in the assistance of deaf people.

B. Main features of the organization

The Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) is the only nationwide organization of the deaf in Japan. It is characterized by the use of sign language as the primary means of communication. JFD is a member of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).
With its headquarters in Sweden, WFD is an international organization of the deaf. Membership is restricted to one association of the deaf from each country. At present, 120 countries are enrolled as WFD members – 63 per cent of the 190 United Nations member countries. All WFD member associations use sign language as the means of communication, although the actual sign language used differs from country to country. The use of sign language is a binding force uniting the deaf associations of the world with a strong sense of solidarity. The “WFD Policy for the Work Done by Member Organizations in Developing Countries” sets forth the guidelines by which member associations give international support and aid. Article 2 states that projects should “be run by deaf people themselves – and in accordance with the organization’s objectives and ethics”.

Within Japan, JFD made great progress in improving welfare for deaf people through deaf rights movements conducted after World War II. Based on these experiences, JFD hosted the 9th World Congress of the Deaf in 1991 in Tokyo. The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons presented another opportunity for advancement of deaf rights. As a member of the WFD, JFD has been playing an active role in helping to establish and develop deaf organizations in Asia.

By the end of the “United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons” in 1992, JFD had achieved some legal reforms in Japan, such as the amendment of Article 11 of the Civil Law, the amendment of the Traffic Law to enable the acquisition of drivers’ licenses by deaf drivers, the establishment of a Sign Language interpreter system, although only in its early stages, and the passing of legislation to build “Information Centres for the Hearing Impaired”. Although still far from achieving all of its goals, JFD and its deaf partners have been encouraged by these achievements to move forward toward “full participation and equality”.

C. Achievements

1. Building regional capacity

JFD hosted the “Fifth Leadership Training of Asian and Oceanian Deaf Persons”, under the sponsorship of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 3 October to 21 November, 1999 at JICA’s Osaka International Centre. Since the inception of the programme, eight deaf leaders have been chosen every year from countries such as Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines and Thailand to participate. The programme and study tour demonstrates to the chosen leadership trainees the importance of a rights-based approach overseen by the deaf community itself.
The programme was initiated in 1995. By 1999, five courses had been conducted and 39 trainees had completed the course. Before this programme, training for persons with disabilities was largely based on the concept of protecting those with disabilities. There were very few programmes considering people with disabilities as direct beneficiaries of training. Most of the programmes were designed for education or rehabilitation specialists, and the organizations in charge of the training were specialized training institutions rather than organizations working for or involving deaf people.

2. The Asian Deaf Friendship Fund

Besides the aforementioned “Leadership Training of Asian and Oceanian Deaf Persons”, JFD offers funding support to deaf associations of countries belonging to the Regional Secretariat in Asia-Pacific. Funding through the Asian Deaf Friendship Fund is offered to countries that have a well established local or national deaf organizations.

The Fund is also used to support the host country of the yearly Regional Secretariat in Asia-Pacific Representative Meeting. The first meeting of the Regional Secretariat was held in 1999. JFD places great importance on this meeting as an opportunity to develop inter-agency communication among the countries of Asia and the Pacific. Participating associations are continuing to increase in number. The meeting is significant in that it is not simply a meeting of the representatives of the member associations but is normally held in collaboration with the deaf society of the host country. Such an approach assists in developing community-based deaf movements in the host country, as well as the capacity of the national-level organizations.

JFD also provided funds for scholarships for Thai students in schools for the deaf through the Fund. At present, annual funding is provided for scholarships and management fees for 20 students attending the Nonthaburi School for the Deaf and Chiang Mai School for the Deaf.

3. Building local resources

The United States-based Gallaudet University is the only university in the world for the deaf, accepting deaf students from all over the world, and using sign language as the official language. As part of a research programme, it sent researchers to Thailand to conduct studies on Thai sign language. The challenge posed by sign language dialects, and difficulties involved in the implementation of a national standard Sign Language are particularly evident in Thailand, in part because of the relative size of the country and, secondly, because of deficiencies in the traffic and transportation systems, thus impeding exchange and communication among deaf people living in different districts.
The results of these studies led to the publication of “The Thai Sign Language Dictionary” (volumes 1 and 2) in 1990. While this was a great achievement, the dictionary was extremely costly and not suited to practical use as a textbook for sign language learners; further it was largely unused by either the deaf or the hearing. A need still remained for a Thai dictionary. Looking for assistance, the National Association of the Deaf in Thailand (NADT) asked JFD to provide support to help publish a version of the standard Japanese Sign Language (JSL) vocabulary textbook, “Watashitachi no Shuwa” (Our Sign Language).

In compiling the dictionary, the selection of signs and their approval by the local districts necessitated editorial meetings with a nationwide representation. This provided the opportunity for deaf organizations and communities from around Thailand to come together not only to discuss the signs, but also to network with each other and share their experiences, goals and achievements. A computer system for the selection of the signs to be included in the textbook was also developed. The editing process was not easy, but in September 1999, the much-awaited books (volumes 1 and 2) were published.

Ten thousand copies of each volume were printed. Results were reported to the Thai Ministry of Education and samples of the new books were presented. The ceremony to present the report and books was attended by the Deputy Minister of Education, who promised to have the new books used as textbooks in deaf schools. This promise has since been fulfilled.

This joint project was a new experience not only for deaf people and groups in Thailand, but for JFD and NADT as well. Results were extremely worthwhile in that the project not only involved material support but also created strong humanities.
The free distribution of volumes 1 and 2 throughout Thailand has been finished. Seminars for dissemination of the dictionary have been organized. Now NADT is working on the editing of volumes 3 and 4. Copyrights and publishing rights were handed over to NADT in the hope that they will be a source of income for NADT.

D. Key lessons learned

The most successful way to assist the deaf is to ensure that deaf people are the key participants and organizers of programmes and activities to assist in their empowerment.

The lack of participation of deaf people in assessment of needs for support and developing education programmes for themselves is largely responsible for misguided efforts to export “aid” to the deaf. A common example of this is the provision of second-hand hearing aids as an auditory assistant to deaf children attending school. With the exception of specialized schools for the deaf, almost all schools conduct teaching using the auditory oral method. In this sort of system, to raise the educational level as a whole, those lacking the ability to keep up with the system are left behind. Apart from the provision of hearing aids, there are no measures to assist deaf children. This is, in effect, a screening process and the deaf are most often screened out.

E. Sustainability

JFD’s international cooperation activities are targeted towards deaf organizations in Asia. In sending international support, it is important to ensure that the project can be sustained and that it matches the needs of the deaf people of the country. As such, support is not always provided continuously. It is also important to recognize the general situation and ensure that those who follow on can pick up where earlier projects left off for an effective and organic continuation of goals.