Last Disability Lecture

Today was our last class for Disability module. We had a lecture on Deafness by our guest lecturer, Mr. Patrick Mathews (who is Deaf himself). It was very interesting! He delivered the lecture using Irish Sign Language (ISL) and had his interpreter to obviously interpret what he said to us.

One point that i like from his lecture was how we tend to label people as normal or disabled or etc. Just because people like us who have no problem in sight, hearing, movement etc, so we label ourselves as normal. But can we understand the sign language used by those who are Deaf? No. Do we have the great visual skills like those Deaf people have? No. Can we write with our toes like some people who have no hands? No. 

.......So aren't we disabled as well in some sense? What if in their world, we are the one who are actually disabled because we can't understand them? Moral of the story, treat people the same. Avoid judging, avoid labeling. 

What a great reminder. oh btw, i wanted to share a joke that he told us this morning.

Ada 2 orang sahabat baik yang Pekak, let's name them A and B. One day, beloya lah nya duak make sign language tek.

A: aku rasa aku nak ekot kelas 'lip-reading' lah.

B: aih, pahal kau gago nak ekot kelas ya indah, maka dah pande sign language.

A: saja bah...nambah ilmu. gik pun aku curious mok tauk apa di klaka laki nok suka beloya sorang2 depan supermarket ya. lekak nya merokok ada nya beloya sorg2 dpn ya koh. sewel kali.

B: mun cam ya aku pun mok juak lah. pat ta duak beporet oh.

so belaja lah nya duak level 1. lekak abis level 1 lip-reading, nya duak betemu gik.

B: coba ko try baca pa dipadah laki ya. 

A: sik pat ku aih..sik paham ku pa padah nya. kau lah try.

B: (lekak 10 menet) adeh, aku pun sik paham. 

A: bah tepaksa ta duak blaja level 2 tok.

maka dipendekkan crita, sampe dah pengabisan tinggi level, sik juak nya duak dpt interpret pa diklaka laki depan supermarket ya. 

A: sik boleh jadi tok. sik puas ati aku eh.

B: camtok jak lah, esok aku ngembak urang paling terer lip-reading lam kampong kita tok. sak nya jak nekak.

maka esok nya dtg lah org yg terer ya tek. malangnya org tok pun sik dpt nak intepret. lalu sidak pun decide mok tanyak terus jak org ya. lalu betulis lah sidak atas kertas tek, nanyak laki ya apa salu dikrepak nya sorg2 dpn supermarket. serta laki ya abis maca explanation and kemusykilan sidak ya, lalu nya pun perei tetak...

"sekda ku ngerepak, sekda ku sewel nak beloya sorg2, waras gik aku tok. lom gila koh. AKU NGUNYAH CHEWING GUM lah! pake ku ngilang bau rokok lam mulut! hahahha.."

A ngan B... -_-' padu cerita nya tek...