Sign language dictionary produced by the program for the various provinces of the Philippines

A dynamic self-help program designed to support Asian deaf education is emerging in Southeast Asia. This project has two essential stages: 1) publication of practical dictionaries of Asian sign languages, and 2) the establishment of an Asian sign language research and training center – the central focus for spreading deaf empowerment.

This ambitious program is led by Dr J. Woodward and Dr Gladys Tang of the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). They are spearheading the development and publication of local sign language dictionaries in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines with the support of the Nippon Foundation.

This important social action project was launched to improve the educational opportunities for Asian deaf people, who often find that job opportunities are limited to manual labor such as sewing and woodwork. The long-term strategy of the CUHK project is to enable deaf people to achieve a literacy level that allows them to become independent social members within a hearing majority.

Japan, for example, has an extensive nationwide network of deaf educational programs to the extent that last year the first hearing impaired person was admitted to a medical doctor's training program in a main stream university. Many other Japanese hearing impaired persons are also finding jobs in the hearing community.

However, the concept of deaf empowerment in most of Asia is in its beginning stages, and present priorities are: a) local sign language research to produce signage dictionaries, b) teaching local people to use natural sign language with dictionaries adapted to their own culture, and c) establishing educational centers in every country to train local teachers for future deaf developments.

In order to achieve these priorities, the CUHK is currently assisting various countries to produce grammar guides of their own sign languages to pave the way for producing the necessary dictionaries and signage teaching materials. CUHK has also established its own centralized university based sign language teaching and interpretation training. The Nippon Foundation, an early supporter of deaf education in Asia, is positively collaborating with CUHK on these projects.