Being misunderstood or discriminated against is something that ‘deafies’ – a slang term that Grace Ng uses for members of her deaf community – deal with persistently. Even though there are well over 5000 deaf people in Singapore, many still face job discrimination.
“A good friend of mine went for a job interview. Her lip reading and speaking are incredible – much better than me – as she had undergone more training than me. She was really looking forward to this job interview. However, when she arrived, she revealed she was deaf. She didn’t put it down on her CV as she didn’t want it to hamper her chances. After the interviewer realised this, he actually tore the application form up in front of her and told her to go home! Now that was pretty traumatising to me. She certainly had excellent qualifications; good enough to get [the job].”
Grace, who was born profoundly deaf, graduated from foundation studies at Massey University in New Zealand 2010, majoring in English. She counts her transformation from attending a primary school for the deaf to a mainstream overseas university as one of her biggest accomplishments. “There aren’t many deafies who manage to study abroad,” she said.
In the academic arena, Grace estimates that only 2 percent of deaf people receive any sponsorships from foundations. “More deaf people opt to study into local mainstream polytechnics or private institutions as in Singapore, going overseas requires lots of money and effort.”
Currently working as an accounts assistant, Grace has fond memories of her primary school for the deaf.
“My childhood was like any other kids’ childhood. My parents put me into the deaf school, made lots of friends – both hearing and deaf. I have the best memories from the deaf primary school where I was able to integrate with my own kind in the deaf world and community.”
As the third child of four, Grace is able to communicate in sign language with almost her whole family: her two older brothers, younger sister and mother. “All except my father learnt sign language to communicate with me. As a result, I’m on incredibly good terms with my siblings as well as their boyfriends and girlfriends.”
“My father had always been a traditional man, so he sort of did not believe in sign language. Instead, he spoke to me orally, which [helped me learn] lip reading [early on]. But he has since mellowed, so we write to each other lots now.”
Drawing from the strong relationship with her family, Grace was able to cope with difficult moments that come with having profound deafness.
“There have been many bad incidents. I have been was scolded by strangers for not obeying or listening to them. As a kid, I was a bit ‘slow’ as I couldn’t hear anything. People thought I was a very naughty girl.”
Aspiring towards a change of career as a local actress, Grace believes in being always optimistic. “No doubt, it’s going to be incredibly difficult. But I’m not giving up anyway.”
This article is a part of our #AbleFamilies campaign in Singapore. Stay tuned for real life stories, advice and experiences from people who believe in and represent the potential of all kids. By now empowering the thousands of kids with disabilities in Singapore and supporting their parents and caregivers, we strengthen the next generation of citizens to promote a more inclusive Singapore.
