Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
My Jakarta: Rachmita Maun Harahap, Founder of Sehjira Deaf Foundation Hearing Impaired and Lecturer | The Jakarta Globe
Nobody in Jakarta is fighting for the deaf with the same commitment as Rachmita Maun Harahap. Not only is the founder of the Sehjira Deaf Foundation for the hearing impaired, three of her siblings are hearing impaired too, so the hours and dedication come easy to Mita, who also lectures at her alma mater, Mercu Buana University in West Jakarta, where she graduated cum laude.
As a child, Mita was encouraged by her parents to speak, which led her to take a rather unusual approach to finding her voice.
Today, she tells My Jakarta why she likes to grab the microphone at a karaoke venue whenever she has some spare time.
Mita, you’re a full-time lecturer running an international NGO — how do you juggle the two?
I lecture on architecture on Tuesday through Friday and I spend Saturday, Sunday and Monday focused specifically on the organization.
That doesn’t give you much free time. What does Sehjira do to help the hearing impaired?
We’re fighting against discrimination. We’re working to pass laws that fight discrimination, especially in the workplace. There are laws in place, but no one fights for their implementation. Sehjira also works to make sure deaf students are not put in special classes, but that they develop the confidence to work alongside their friends in school just like anybody else. We also work to make sure these kids go to college and we help them find work after they graduate.
What laws are in place to encourage employers to hire people with a hearing impairment?
For every 100 employees, there should be one deaf, blind or physically handicapped person on staff. That’s in the public sector. I’m not sure if these laws also affect the hiring practices of private companies.
What gave you the idea to start the foundation?
When I was in college at Mercu Buana, I realized how hard it was for hearing-impaired people, and my friends worked with me to start an organization that encouraged the deaf, worked to implement legislation and gave deaf children leadership training.
Are there trained teachers for the deaf in Jakarta’s public schools?
There are teachers for the blind, but no specially trained teachers to help the deaf.
Is Sehjira working with any international organizations to improve things in Jakarta?
We’ve done some work with the Deafness Research Foundation from the United States. They have a capacity-building project. We try to help children by giving them leadership training so they can actualize their potential, so they can go to regular school and are not forced to attend a special education school in Jakarta. If the kids don’t go to a public school and interact with other kids, then they don’t go to college and they just end up enrolling in vocational schools and learning how to sew. We teach them and give them the skills they need to reach their full potential.
Are you the only one in your family who was born deaf?
Well, actually I could hear when I was born, but only a little. I have six siblings. Four of us can’t hear. My aunt and uncle taught me to read lips and we ended up making up our own sign language. But my family forced me to talk and try to pronounce words clearly. When I was a kid in Padang Sidempuan, North Sumatra, I would wade out into the lake, up to just above my chest, and scream the vowels. It’s a learning technique. The vowels are the most important characters.
So you’re not completely deaf?
No. I didn’t get a hearing aid until I was 9. But I would listen to music on headphones, over and over again, hundreds of times.
What was it like to finally hear everything clearly?
I wasn’t used to it. I didn’t like it. It hurt my ears. What I mean is that before I couldn’t hear much, and then all of a sudden I was hearing everything. There were all these sounds coming from everywhere. Sometimes I just take my hearing aids out so I don’t have to hear anything or answer anybody.
What’s the next step for Sehjira?
I want the deaf to be treated equally. I want to stop discrimination — in schools, colleges and the workplace. And I want the government to step up and implement the laws put in place to stop discrimination. My overall goal is to one day create a college like Gallaudet University [a US institution for the hearing impaired] here in Indonesia.
And I’ve heard that you’re a pretty good singer. What’s your favorite karaoke jam?
I like dangdut pop, but I would have to say my favorite karaoke song is “You Are Not Alone.” I’m a good singer, in fact, on Kartini Day in 2007, I won a singing contest.
Nobody in Jakarta is fighting for the deaf with the same commitment as Rachmita Maun Harahap. Not only is the founder of the Sehjira Deaf Foundation for the hearing impaired, three of her siblings are hearing impaired too, so the hours and dedication come easy to Mita, who also lectures at her alma mater, Mercu Buana University in West Jakarta, where she graduated cum laude.
As a child, Mita was encouraged by her parents to speak, which led her to take a rather unusual approach to finding her voice.
Today, she tells My Jakarta why she likes to grab the microphone at a karaoke venue whenever she has some spare time.
Mita, you’re a full-time lecturer running an international NGO — how do you juggle the two?
I lecture on architecture on Tuesday through Friday and I spend Saturday, Sunday and Monday focused specifically on the organization.
That doesn’t give you much free time. What does Sehjira do to help the hearing impaired?
We’re fighting against discrimination. We’re working to pass laws that fight discrimination, especially in the workplace. There are laws in place, but no one fights for their implementation. Sehjira also works to make sure deaf students are not put in special classes, but that they develop the confidence to work alongside their friends in school just like anybody else. We also work to make sure these kids go to college and we help them find work after they graduate.
What laws are in place to encourage employers to hire people with a hearing impairment?
For every 100 employees, there should be one deaf, blind or physically handicapped person on staff. That’s in the public sector. I’m not sure if these laws also affect the hiring practices of private companies.
What gave you the idea to start the foundation?
When I was in college at Mercu Buana, I realized how hard it was for hearing-impaired people, and my friends worked with me to start an organization that encouraged the deaf, worked to implement legislation and gave deaf children leadership training.
Are there trained teachers for the deaf in Jakarta’s public schools?
There are teachers for the blind, but no specially trained teachers to help the deaf.
Is Sehjira working with any international organizations to improve things in Jakarta?
We’ve done some work with the Deafness Research Foundation from the United States. They have a capacity-building project. We try to help children by giving them leadership training so they can actualize their potential, so they can go to regular school and are not forced to attend a special education school in Jakarta. If the kids don’t go to a public school and interact with other kids, then they don’t go to college and they just end up enrolling in vocational schools and learning how to sew. We teach them and give them the skills they need to reach their full potential.
Are you the only one in your family who was born deaf?
Well, actually I could hear when I was born, but only a little. I have six siblings. Four of us can’t hear. My aunt and uncle taught me to read lips and we ended up making up our own sign language. But my family forced me to talk and try to pronounce words clearly. When I was a kid in Padang Sidempuan, North Sumatra, I would wade out into the lake, up to just above my chest, and scream the vowels. It’s a learning technique. The vowels are the most important characters.
So you’re not completely deaf?
No. I didn’t get a hearing aid until I was 9. But I would listen to music on headphones, over and over again, hundreds of times.
What was it like to finally hear everything clearly?
I wasn’t used to it. I didn’t like it. It hurt my ears. What I mean is that before I couldn’t hear much, and then all of a sudden I was hearing everything. There were all these sounds coming from everywhere. Sometimes I just take my hearing aids out so I don’t have to hear anything or answer anybody.
What’s the next step for Sehjira?
I want the deaf to be treated equally. I want to stop discrimination — in schools, colleges and the workplace. And I want the government to step up and implement the laws put in place to stop discrimination. My overall goal is to one day create a college like Gallaudet University [a US institution for the hearing impaired] here in Indonesia.
And I’ve heard that you’re a pretty good singer. What’s your favorite karaoke jam?
I like dangdut pop, but I would have to say my favorite karaoke song is “You Are Not Alone.” I’m a good singer, in fact, on Kartini Day in 2007, I won a singing contest.