The Rotary Club of Makati recently handed over to the country's sole speech-centric deaf financial aid worth P475,000, which is part of its continuing help to raise professional workers among the hearing impaired.

Philippine Institute for the Deaf founder and president Julie Esguerra received the check representing the Club's aid to the PID this year on 28 November 2023 during the Club's weekly meeting at Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

The fund will be used to train 19 students using speech therapy, which Esguerra said is unique to the PID.

No sign language

Unlike other deaf schools, she said the PID does not practice sign language among its students as, according to Esguerra, this will only make them more alienated from the public as many people do not understand sign language.

"Some of our graduates are already working at the Department of Foreign Affairs. Others are teaching at universities as professors or librarians," she shared.

"Many of them also became culinary professionals," Esguerra added.

Established in 1988, the PID has been guided by Esguerra's experience in the United States where she worked for a number of year as a freelance speech therapist before returning to the Philippines.

Free the deaf

"The institute aims to free the deaf in the country so they can pursue any career they want, just like the deaf in Europe and America who overcome their auditory impairment and become doctors, engineers, pilots and lawyers. Why not the Philippines?" Esguerra said.

The institute now has 90 students from kindergarten to grade 12 or high school who are supported by donations and job internships from other institutions and firms.

Esguerra said at least P100,000 is needed to orally train the students.

Through RC Makati's annual grant, Esguerra said the institute can afford to provide one-on-one speech therapy sessions to students which allow them to speak normally.

Residual hearing

Although the students were born deaf, Esguerra said they can still hear sounds through residual hearing.

"They have residual hearing which means that even if they were born deaf, they can still hear through the hair. The skin hair allows them to do that," she explained.

"They need auditory training so they can have a picture in their minds whether that is a car or a different object," Esguerra added.

Along with visual observation, Esguerra said the students are then able to speak as normally-abled persons do.