Three Unhas students, which are Dirga Utama Mahardika (Government Studies), Herlina Sukman (State Administration), and Ervan Togatorop (Agricultural Technology), conducted research for the Student Creative Research (PKM) entitled “KATA DIA” (Open Class World of Signs). The research is directed on the matter of the urgent need to empower those that are deaf by developing sign languages for those particular disabilities.
They presented their research with the genre of community service in front of Prof. Dr. Rimbawan, M.Sc., a member of the Monitoring and Evaluation (Monev) of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education Institution (Ristek Dikti) along with 50 student groups in the Studies Development Institution (LKPP) Unhas, 21 June 2016. Also, those that presented their research include from the Polytechnic Negeri Ujung Pangdang (PNUP), Universitas Bosowa (Unibos), and Higher School for Health Studies (STIK) Tamalanrea. Other participants that awaits include higher education institutions from palopo.
According to the research, South Sulawesi is home to 25.530 individuals that suffer from deafness, spread across both the city and regencies, with only four available interpreters of signal language to assist them. Three among them have families (two daughters and one son), therefore leaving one person named Ciki, which is currently the only one active in supporting the communication needs of the deaf.
Even further to attain the assistances of an interpreter, there is not an educational institution present to facilitate it. They surfaced naturally while trying to understand the communications of the deaf for approximately 7 until 12 months.
Through the KATA DIA, students of Unhas intends to develop the social interactions with the deaf people. To find and arrive at the conclusion of the research itself, they used three phases.
The first phase is the moving class by providing education to the people, through educating skills in aligning with their disabilities.
The second phase is the talking class, by the provision of education for the death to be able to express themselves, along with societal empowerment.
“Approximately 107 volunteers from numerous universities in Makassar is involved in the event,” stated Dirga that was appointed an adjudicator towards the presentations in the event.
The talking class will be conducted in several points that involve the deaf and interpreters. The results, the deaf were able to perform in an event known as the Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF) that was conducted in Makassar a couple of while ago. Their performance was in the form of a stage play and praised full with appreciation by all of the participants.
The third phase is the social class event, meant as an avenue to facilitate the societal interests in the conclusion of numerous social matters faced by the deaf. In accordance with the social event, the National Education Day of 2 May 2016 will be filled with researchers heading to the field to campaign the “movement of anti-intolerance and discrimination towards the disabled.”
They hope that through the research, there would be a particular group formed of those that care for the disabled, could be in the shape of an organization or community. Minimalizing the act of discriminations and intolerance in the center of societies, and eventually, serve as a role model for the empowerment of communities that will be of immense benefits for the disabled.
The last designated outcome is the formation of a health consultation, caretakers for the disabled, donations, and construction of a website for the disabled communities.
Prof. Dr. Rimbawan, M.Sc. after participating in their presentation, stated that the research presentation was filled with high excitements by those that were presenting, but still in need to complete several missing data, such as recorded statements from the partners of the research, including the Mayor of Makassar that also assisted in the process of making the large banner containing the campaign of anti-intolerance and discrimination towards the disabled.
“The impact though is felt, but the report writings are yet to follow the format determined, which was 10 pages,” Rimbawan stated.
The Monev PKM event in Unhas lasted for three days, starting on Monday (20/6). As much as 51 PKM proposals from Unhas tagged along with the competition, each consisting of PKM KC (Hoped creations 11 proposals, PKM entrepreneurship 3, PKM exact sciences research 32, PKM community service 2, PKM social humanities research 2).
The results of the research constructed that passed the Monev will proceed to attend the National Scientific Week (Pimnas) in IPB on the 7th until 12th of August 2016. (mda)
