October 9, 2024 — Dr. Liliosa Palce, Supervisor of DepEd SDO Muntinlupa, including Dr. Antonio Gagala and Dr. Antonio Rocha, principals of Soldiers Hills Elementary School and Pedro E. Diaz High School, along with several teachers respectively, met with Benilde administrators and the Center for Education Advancement of the Deaf (CEAD) team to discuss potential collaboration in establishing Deaf-centered inclusive schools in their division.  

CEAD presented its programs and services, including the Model Learning Institute on Deaf Centered Education (MLITEDCE) project. MLITEDCE aims to create supportive frameworks that promote the Sign Bilingual approach, advancing the academic success of Filipino Deaf learners through Deaf centered education, research, linguistics and innovation.  Central to these efforts is the full involvement of Deaf people in creating, pilot-testing, and improving these initiatives, thereby fostering their empowerment. 

During the meeting, CEAD presented several innovations and interventions presented to the teachers and administrators of DepEd Muntinlupa. These include the implementation of Sign Bilingual Schools, research and assessment on the impact of educational interventions on students’ learning, development of training activities on Deaf-centered Sign Bilingual Strategies, and various Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Resources. These resources include the FSL Handbook and Dictionary, FSL Signbank, Academic FSL Dictionary, Learning Supplements, and Deaf Literature.  

Dr. Liliosa Palce and other representatives expressed admiration for Benilde-CEAD’s initiatives, particularly the learning resources. They believe these tools will be essential for supporting Deaf students, recognizing that the lack of teaching resources creates a barrier to effective teaching practices.   She raised concerns about the shortage of teachers who can sign in Muntinlupa schools. The lack of Deaf teachers and hearing teachers proficient in FSL poses a significant challenge to many Deaf students, contributing to delays in language acquisition that affect their cognitive development and hinder their potential to excel. 

CEAD and DepEd SDO Muntinlupa will begin discussions on areas for partnerships to support SDO Muntinlupa to establish and implement Deaf-centered inclusive schools in the city.