AL AMAL KINDERGARTEN FOR THE DEAF SERVED MORE THAN 250 STUDENTS
Since its establishment, the number of students who are deaf or hard of hearing who received services from Al Amal Kindergarten for the Deaf has reached 250. It is the first kindergarten to offer services to students who are deaf or hard of hearing in United Arab Emirates. It began its actual work in 1983 as part of Al Amal School for the Deaf, which is an affiliate of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS).
Ms. Afaf Al – Haridi, Al Amal School for the Deaf Principal, has confirmed that the kindergarten offers a group of services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing starting from the age of two and half years. These services include education, training, and rehabilitation. It also integrates them into public and private schools according to an organized program.
In addition, the kindergarten offers social services in order to raise people’s awareness and build positive attitude towards persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. It offers consultation to external cases and follow-up students that have been integrated into public and private schools. It makes huge efforts to find solutions for their problems, organize training workshops and courses in sign language for the local community in addition to integration into society.
Al – Haridi has mentioned some of the subordinate services, which the kindergartens offers to students such as family consultation, education, and verbal rehabilitation. The kindergarten offers lessons in verbal communication every morning to all students. Speech professionals prepared a plan for each student according to his/her level and capabilities.
The kindergarten aims to provide an educational environment that enable students from reaching high academic performance, and activate the social partnership associated with the educational process. It works hard in various fields to achieve quality and excellence while improving the performance of the educational bodies and developing specialized capacities in the field of education to ensure excellent service for all students. It also develops school resources to meet the requirements of education.
Al – Haridi has pointed out that the kindergarten depends on integrating non-disabled students into classes with students who are deaf or hard of hearing in order to spread sign language in the community and raise awareness of hearing impairment. It also encourages students who are deaf or hard of hearing to speak more and incorporate different educational methods such as working in groups. The kindergarten also organizes courses in sign language for parents in order to enable them to communicate with children properly.
Al – Haridi talked about Partial Integration Program in non-disabled nurseries, which is part of kindergarten continued efforts to raise people’s awareness of hearing impairment and integration. This is one of the main goals for the kindergarten. Therefore, specialists set an annual plan to raise non-disabled nurseries awareness of the importance of integration throughout organizing a number of lectures, informative campaigns, and visits to speech specialists and social workers. In addition, the kindergarten works to integrate its students in non-disabled nurseries once a week in order to train them on dealing with non-disabled students. As a result, students who are deaf or hard of hearing would have a better chance to receive equal education and focus on developing their language skills.
As for the full integration in non-disabled nurseries, it means that students who are deaf or hard of hearing would have to transfer to non-disabled schools and nurseries. Moreover, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services specialists will provide follow-up and consultation to teachers and parents alike.
The kindergarten was able to integrate 60 students who are deaf or hard of hearing in non-disabled nurseries since its inception. They receive follow up service from speech therapists and social workers on regular basis in order to discover the problems facing them and trying to find solutions for it. It also provides directions and advises to teachers on dealing with students who are deaf or hard of hearing properly.
Al – Haridi has pointed out that modern technology created new techniques and methods for indirect education that depends on incorporating innovative technology to achieve learning after considering individual differences between children. The kindergarten has incorporated the latest trends and technologies in classroom such as IPads, interactive whiteboards, and high-speed Internet connections in order to deliver information to students in an exciting way. Therefore, SCHS workers receive training on these devices and new apps.
Ms. Afaf Al – Haridi has confirmed that Al Amal Kindergarten for the Deaf is one entire body, which means after finishing years of studying and rehabilitation, students either go to non-disabled schools if they are qualified, or go to Al Amal School for the Deaf until they finish high school.
To conclude, Al – Haridi directed a message to people. She said, “people who are deaf or hard of hearing show several symptoms that indicate hearing impairment such as not responding to regular sounds or the doorbell. They are not able to speak with others normally and usually respond to sounds by directing their heads to its source. A child who suffered from hearing loss at the age of two years old has a different vocabulary inventory than a child who suffered from hearing loss since birth. The early you discover hearing impairment, the better. Discovering hearing impairment at an early stage enables specialists to benefit from hearing remains, work to enrich child’s vocabulary inventory, and avoid psychology complications. Therefore, parents must get medical consultation as soon as the symptoms occur on their children”.