The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) is a charitable organisation for the

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

and

hard-of-hearing Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken l ...

in Singapore founded in 1955. SADeaf is a member of the

National Council of Social Service The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Social and Family Development The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF; ms, Kementerian Pembangunan Sosial dan Keluarga; zh, 社会及家� ...

and the

World Federation of the Deaf The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international non-governmental organization that acts as a peak body for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on Deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends. WFD aims ...

. SADeaf is also supported by the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and the

Ministry of Social and Family Development The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF; ms, Kementerian Pembangunan Sosial dan Keluarga; zh, 社会及家庭发展部; ta, சமுதாய, குடும்ப மேம்பாட்டு அமைச்சு) is a ministr ...

History

1955–1999

In 1955, the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) was founded and they established the

Singapore School for the Deaf Singapore School for the Deaf (SSD) was a school for deaf children in Singapore. It was operated by the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf). It opened in 1963. In January 1977, Dr. Jerry Goh Ewe Hong established the Philosophy of Total Com ...

in 1963. In 1972, the Youth Group for the Deaf was formed, which organized

recreational activities Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

, and two years later, the Total Communication (TC) philosophy was adopted. In 1978, the

Signing Exact English Signing Exact English (''SEE-II'', sometimes Signed Exact English) is a system of manual communication that strives to be an exact representation of English vocabulary and grammar. It is one of a number of such systems in use in English-speaking co ...

(SEE) system was adopted by SADeaf's affiliated schools. On 29 September 1983, SADeaf joined the Community Chest of Singapore. In 1988, the Centre for the Hearing-Impaired and Audiological Services Clinic were set up. In 1990, the Deaf Access Committee was established and a book about

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

titled, "''Sign for Singapore''", was also released.

2000–present

In 2000, a Hearing Care Centre was opened. In 2004, an Itinerant Support Service was set up to help provide emotional and learning support for deaf students in mainstream schools. In 2007, SADeaf launched a new logo. In 2011, SADeaf worked on a Mini Enabling Masterplan which focuses on helping the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in Singapore. The following year, SADeaf launched a free interpretation service for members. SADeaf also hosted the

Regional Secretariat in Asia (WRD RSA), the first time Singapore would host this meeting. In 2015, SADeaf held its 3rd Deaf Dialogue session in January and celebrated its 60th anniversary. In 2016, SADeaf was a recipient of the Charity Transparency Award and also raised public awareness at the

Singapore National Day Parade The National Day Parade (NDP) is an annual parade held in Singapore to commemorate its independence. Held annually on 9 August, it is the main public celebration of National Day, consists of a parade incorporating contingents of the Singapore ...

and one of Lee Hsien Loong's speeches. In 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, SADeaf helped release special masks to help deaf and hard-of-hearing people to

lip read The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

better along with making it easier for deaf people during

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. SADeaf won the Charity Transparency Award again in 2022.

References

* {{Cite book , last=Ng , first=Mimi Yit Ming , title=Sign for Singapore , publisher=

Times Books International Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems. Time or times may also refer to: Temporal measurement * Time in physics, defined by its measurement * Time standard, civil time specific ...

, year=1990 , isbn=9789812041487 , location=Singapore , language=English

External links

SADeaf official website
Non-profit organisations based in Singapore Disability organisations based in Singapore 1955 establishments in Singapore Singaporean voluntary welfare organisations Charities based in Singapore

History

1955–1999

2000–present

See also

References

External links