MICA(P) 147/10/2014 August - September 2015 MVS First Graduation National Deaf Games Day INSIDE Hawaii Five-O! Contestants ~ Pg 16 Sign for SG50 2 SIGNAL Newsletter 13 Contents 3 Editor’s NotE 4 ANNOUNCEMENTS • AGM & Exco Election • 60th Anniversary • Night Office – New Opening Hours • Siemens New Name and Logo 6 FEATURE! • SADeaf President presents Certificates to 16 MVS Graduates • Drawing Parallels...Through the Lens • HI!SG2015 14 • A Tribute to TRIBES • Kicking Off the First National Deaf Games 2015! • Sign for SG50 – Signing the National Pledge 16 OUTINGS • Fun Day for the Family at Adventure Cove, Sentosa • Youth Celebrate! Editorial Team 10 Alvan Yap Ranee Govindram Tan Lizhen Contributors: • Wan Ziyi • Lydia Chua • Tan Boon Hwee 6 • Elizabeth Khoo • Toh You Xin 8 • David Lee • Nuryaminah bte Rustam Pane • Deaf Sports Association Designed and printed by Ee Tai Press Pte Ltd • EDITORIAL • SIGNAL Newsletter 3 Editor’s Note ... Alvan Yap Deputy Director, SADeaf In this issue of Signal, I’m delighted to buzz around these days. And no wonder – we all await, with present some highlights from the past couple bated breath, Singapore’s impending general elections, and of exciting and hectic months at SADeaf, as SADeaf’s own Executive Council elections is also due during well as more to come for the rest of the year! the Annual General Meeting in September 2015. Congrats to our MVS grads! With the growing interest in political and civic issues among Firstly, SADeaf extends our heartfelt our Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, it is timely that congratulations to the 26 graduates from SADeaf has been advocating for greater accessibility to the Mountbatten Vocational School (MVS) who electoral process. Besides producing a series of election- had successfully completed their courses. related sign language videos, SADeaf will offer our sign All the best to them and wishing all a bright language interpretation services for the campaign rallies and future ahead as they begin a new phase in other related events. So come on, step up, make a difference. their lives. Every vote counts - including yours! Raising public awareness of our community Celebrating SG50 & SADeaf60 With the successful run of the play TRIBEs With the SG50 celebrations in full swing island-wide, SADeaf (see pages 10 and 11), the profile of our too shared in this joyous occasion by holding a Sign for Deaf and hard-of-hearing community among SG50 event at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. We were privileged the general public has been given a boost! to have Ms Sim Ann, Minister of State for Education and Communications & Information, lead over 450 participants I’ll like to share this wonderful quote from in reciting the national pledge in sign language. Ethel Yap, one of the leads in the play: “Working on Tribes not only gave me so We also wish to take this opportunity to thank Ms Denise many new opportunities to learn about the Phua (Mayor of Central Singapore District) and our patron Deaf community and their experiences, but Ms Ho Ching for their equally staunch and unstinting support it also opened up doorways and helped to for our community over the past years. build bridges between the communities of the hearing and the Deaf, as well as the arts You’re invited to SADeaf’s 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner! community. [This project] has really paved Our nation turns 50 this year and SADeaf, which was the way for us all to not only get to know established ten years before Singapore declared each other, but to grow in empathy, love independence, turns 60! and consideration for one another – for our strengths, for our uniqueness, for the We’re all geared up to celebrate our milestone sixth decade challenges that we face just to belong, and of existence. And this is a good time for clients, supporters, to help build pathways of communication friends old and new to get together to partake the double and understanding.’’ celebrations during our 60th Anniversary Dinner on 19 September at RWS. You can find more info and details on Elections galore - exercising our democratic the back cover. rights There’s a certain air of anticipation and Do join us.. and here’s looking forward! have For feedback, comments and suggestions on Signal Newsletter, YOUR you can email [email protected] or mail to The Singapore saY Association for the Deaf, 227 Mountbatten Road, Singapore 397998. 4 SIGNAL Newsletter • ANNOUNCEMENTS • Notice of SADeaf Annual General Meeting & Election of Executive Council members Calling all members! The 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Singapore • Honorary Treasurer Association for the Deaf will be held on Saturday 26 September, • Honorary Assistant Treasurer 2015 at 3.00pm at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Singapore • Council Member (10 Positions) Association for the Deaf, 227 Mountbatten Road, Singapore 397998. Letters of the above notice on the AGM and election have been posted to all The AGM will also see the following officers of the Executive current and life members of SADeaf. If Council of the Singapore Association for the Deaf elected: you have not received them, please email • President [email protected] or SMS/call 9226 7637. • Vice-President (4 Positions) Only current ordinary and life members of • Honorary Secretary SADeaf are eligible to stand for election • Honorary Assistant Secretary and to vote in the election and AGM. Ambassadors for the Deaf are our cherished partners who believe in, and are committed to, playing a part for the Deaf and hard-of- hearing community in Singapore. Together, we work to raise public Ambassadors awareness of deafness, support our fundraising activities and provide employment opportunities. Please contact Corporate Affairs For The Deaf Manager Ms Ranee at [email protected] to find out more.. ABC Tissue Hearing Express AV-Science Marketing Pte Ltd Barclays Technology Centre Ltd ERA Singapore Pte Ltd Field Catering and Supplies Pte Ltd Fraser and Neave, Ltd Grid Synergy Pte Ltd Hengrich Pte Ltd Integrated Supply and Trading, BP Singapore Pte Ltd Kentucky Fried Chicken Management Pte Ltd Marina Bay Sands Singapore Pte Ltd Merrylin Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd Ms Valentane Huang Ti Xiang Mun Siong Engineering Ltd Natural Cooling Holdings Ltd Select Group Ltd Sivantos Pte Ltd The GoodWater Company Pte Ltd The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd Vobis Enterprise Pte Ltd • ANNOUNCEMENTS • SIGNAL Newsletter 5 The Singapore Association for the Deaf will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a gala dinner at Resorts World Convention Centre – Sentosa, on Saturday 19 September 2015. Join us to celebrate together! Contact SADeaf at telephone number 63448274 during office hours on weekdays (8.30am to 5.30pm) or sms James Ong at tel: 96885073 if you wish to purchase tickets. We look forward to your support! SADEAF FLAG DAY NEW NIGHT OFFICE HOURS The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) is organising an island-wide Flag Day collection on Saturday, 3 October 2015. The SADeaf Flag Day is one of our major fundraising efforts to support essential services for the Deaf and hard of hearing community. These include sign language interpretation service; note-taking; support for students with hearing loss; and audiology services. We thus appeal to you to sign up as a volunteer for SADeaf Flag Day street collection. Details as follows: Please note the new operating hours for our night office, which opens every Date : Saturday, 3 October 2015 Wednesday, is from 5.30pm to 9pm. Time : Any time slot from 9.00am to 6.00pm Age : 15 years or above Venue : Bugis; Jurong; Tampines;Toa Payoh; SADeaf HQ at Mountbatten SIEMENS NEW NAME AND LOGO To register, please email to [email protected] and provide the following information: With effect from 16th April 2015, the company name of Siemens Medical 1. Full name Instruments Pte Ltd has been officially 2. NRIC changed to Sivantos Pte. Ltd. This is a 3. Preferred time slot company name change only. 4. Preferred venue to collect the donation tin and stickers For student volunteers, CIP hours will be given. Other companies within the Sivantos Group, including the legal manufacturer, A few hours of your time can make a difference in someone’s which was previously known as “Siemens life. If unable to volunteer, you can still contribute by Audiologische Technik GmbH”, is now making an outright donation for the Flag Day collection. known as “Sivantos GmbH”. For enquiries, please contact Li Zhen at 6344 8274 or email The new logo is: [email protected] . Thank you for your support! 6 SIGNAL Newsletter • featURE! • Congratulations MVS Graduates! Nuryaminah bte Rustam Pane (Yammy) Dr Christopher Low Wong Kein, President of The Singapore Association for the Deaf, presented certificates to 26 students from Mountbatten Vocational School (MVS) at a graduation ceremony held on 25th July 2015 at Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre. Dr Christopher Low, who was the Guest-of-Honour at the ceremony, presented certificates to 21 students who completed their ITE Skills course and five students received their school leaving certificates. All the graduating students also received a special “graduation teddy bear”, contributed by three of the students’ parents. Parents, students and guests who attended the event were entertained with performances by some of the school’s current students and teachers. There was Hip Hop, Song Signing performance to the tune of Good Times by Owl City, and a combination of step dance and Cha Cha which kept everyone clapping along. Graduating students were also treated to a video montage for them to reminisce on their school days. Mrs Juliana Lien receiving the Graduation Certificate from Dr Low Wong Kein, President of SADeaf, on behalf of her son Lien Kok Hwee who is representing Singapore in the The day ended with a sumptuous buffet spread.