At 2.30 pm tomorrow, December 17, Gawad Metronian Educational Foundation Inc. [GMEFI] and the Philippine Federation of the Deaf [PFD] will sign the Memorandum of Agreement as second awardee of the GMEFI Community Educational Fund Assistance Program. PFD submitted the proposal entitled “Filipino Sign Language [FSL] Communication Skills Training for Parents of Deaf Students in Novaliches.” Believing that communication is very vital to achieve harmonious living first and foremost within the family, help promote Deaf awareness in Novaliches City, as well as the importance of inclusive education in the society, GMEFI Board of Trustees approved it.
PFD through their experienced and empowered teachers aim to train FSL to hearing parents and Deaf students; establish a buddy practice between them so as to develop self-confidence and lift the self-esteem of both hearing parents and Deaf students. At the end of the project, the Deaf students will be able to build and/or restore good and better relationship with their hearing parents.
With that, GMEFI hopes that communication barrier between the two breaks through the communication skills that hearing parents will acquire from the training, and that Deaf children’s feeling of neglect because of non-communication within their homes hopefully dissipates and completely vanish.
May hearing parents see the importance of understanding Deafness and their children’s human rights and linguistic needs so that the harmonious relationship PFD wants between Deaf students and their parents be achieved! In the long run, it will be beneficial not only for the hearing parents of Deaf students but to everyone in the family.
PFD, to be represented by its Vice-President Yvette Apurado and GMEFI’s President Evelyne Dominguez will sign the MOA. Executive Director Annalissa Penullar along with some members of the Board of Trustees will serve as witness.
Autism Society Philippines is GMEFI’s first Community Educational Program Fund Assistance awardee. [MM]
[Note: As I am a member of GMEFI, I will be posting about their activities every now and then, especially those whose partnership I facilitated]
Advocacine's Blog 
Leave a Reply