Deaf culture sensitivity training held

• Source:www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/05/08/deaf-culture-sensitivity-training-held-472475
• Sunday, May 8, 2016

(Sun.Star Cebu)

SOME 50 airport stakeholders at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) participated in the first “Deaf Culture Sensitivity Training for a Barrier-Free MCIA” spearheaded by GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) last March 16.

GMCAC partnered with the Deaf Association of Lapu-Lapu City (DALLC) along with the Lapu-Lapu City Federation of People with Disabilities for the one-day training and workshop led by DALLC president Christopher Kit Amomonpon.

The training sought to provide information and awareness on deaf culture sensitivity for a better understanding of and improving the attitude toward the deaf passengers and other passengers with physical disabilities.

Amomonpon and his team discussed ways of identifying and differentiating the facts and misconceptions about deafness and deaf culture; increasing awareness and promote sensitivity to the challenges and specific needs of passengers with disabilities; and taught airport stakeholders with basic sign language and other communication means.

“Not all deaf are mute. Some are hard of hearing and thus can speak only that they refuse to because they feel intimidated.

It’s a common mistake made by many that when they know a person is deaf, they louden their voices or have the deaf sit in a wheelchair when boarding their flight,” said Amomonpon. “We may be deaf and hard of hearing but we are not disabled.”

Amomonpon suggested that the airport’s frontliners, including airline staff and customers service representatives, should have a pen and paper when dealing with a deaf passenger for easy communication. He also suggested for more visual signage across the terminal and that instruction manuals should be found at the final security check area in order for a deaf passenger to be more aware of the procedures.

He said it would also be helpful if the airport frontliners learn a few of the basic sign language to make the deaf and those hard of hearing feel more welcomed and accommodated inside the airport.

“I have gained a lot of insights during the training. It helped me better understand the needs of the deaf. Learning the basic sign language proved to be useful as it was enjoyable,” said Ricky Ichika of Cebu Pacific.

Estee Plunket, GMCAC Corporate Affairs head, said the training sought to improve the customer service capabilities of airport frontliners toward the deaf and hard of hearing passengers including passengers with physical disabilities.

“This is GMCAC’s first step to making MCIA a barrier-free airport and a more inclusive place for people with disabilities,” she said.

Among those in attendance where representatives and training officers of airlines’ check-in staff, ground handlers, terminal duty officers, customer service representatives, security, airport government agencies, and other customer-facing offices.