DEAFNESS is one of the most common disabilities in the Solomon Islands, yet there is limited educational support for the deaf community.
Dr Mellita Jones wanted to change this.
The Australian Catholic University professor has been visiting the Solomon Islands for nearly 15 years.
Every time, she was enthralled by the rich culture and welcoming communities.
However, she also witnessed “incredible inequity” and poverty within the country, most noticeably in the education sector for children with disabilities.
Partnered with the Archdiocese of Honiara, Dr Jones helped develop a project to improve sign language competency within remote communities in the Solomon Islands.
Dr Jones said the goal was to lead deaf children out of the extreme isolation they felt.
“Often deafness is seen as something embarrassing, so deaf children or adults can be shunned and disempowered by their community”, she said.
Funded through a $500,000 research grant from the Education Sector Support Program Solomon Islands, the project would train deaf and hearing people in AUSLAN and send them into remote communities.
“It can’t just be the deaf children who learn sign language, but the communities, so the ultimate outcome is to give those deaf children an opportunity to be active members, which is what people need for good mental health, prosperity and productivity,” she said.
Dr Jones said participants would also be eligible for a Certificate of Teaching and Learning from ACU, a qualification recognised by the Solomon Islands Ministry of Education for employment in schools or other institutions.
“Hopefully, that will be really empowering for these people to earn a wage, and also to be teaching their community members,” she said.
“It might also help reduce all the stigma that these disabled people have faced, that they will be seen as being quite capable members of their communities.”
The project was co-designed by Marist Sister Maria Fe Rollo, Principal of the San Isidro Care Centre, Catholic Education Authority director Modesta Hasiau, and former principal of Bishop Epalle Catholic School Jackson Meke.
Founded by Marist Brother George van der Zant, San Isidro Care Centre is a live-in school in the Solomon Islands dedicated to teaching AUSLAN and basic skills to the deaf community.
Sr Rollo said most San Isidro students had never been “exposed to a learning environment before”.
“We have students in their 30s and 40s and some students who don’t even know their age,” she said.
Sr Rollo said deaf youth were often “the least and the last” in their communities, a characterisation that “clouds employment opportunities and health care”.
“Unfortunately, there was an instance in the community where a deaf pregnant woman passed away after she was unable to communicate to health practitioners,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Sr Rollo said many students “picked the language up quickly” and thrived in a specialised learning environment.
“It’s very touching for us as teachers,” she said.
“These students can contribute (to the community), if only given a chance”.
After graduating from San Isidro, many students return to their families, however communication barriers create a frustrating reintegration process.
The new ACU project would allow San Isidro centre to send trained sign language teachers into remote communities to support their graduates.
As a former school principal, Mr Meke said it would be wonderful to have a communal knowledge of sign language.
“We have to touch the families, encourage them to come to the training, to learn how to communicate, especially with those who are deaf, so they can be able to start within their own families and communicate within their own families, and then go out in the wider community,” he said.
Although only scheduled for 12 months, Dr Jones and Mr Meke hoped the project would improve inclusive education across the Solomon Islands
“I think we have built a collaborative and sustainable model that can hopefully spread to other places,” Dr Jones said.
Mr Meke said he hopes the Solomon Islander community “embraces sign language” and approaches the project with “open hearts”.
“I want to see hearing and deaf people walking side by side.”
