Bridging the Gap for Deaf Individuals

Giving Back as a Hearing Person 

As a CODA (child of deaf adults), Luke has always felt a sense of familiarity among other Deaf individuals and has never felt awkward interacting with them. Growing up, sign language was part of his daily life and essential in helping him communicate with his parents.

Caption: Luke together with Deaf student motivators preparing for the National Day Parade in 2017. 

Luke also developed a heart for serving the community while volunteering as a TOUCH Motivator at the National Day Parade when he was a student. “I enjoyed the new friendships forged through this platform and loved the tightknit community there. It felt like a meaningful way to give back and this community gave me the motivation to keep returning,” shares Luke, who continued volunteering as a Motivator Mentor for over ten years.   

Caption: Luke together with his colleagues from TOUCH Silent Club. 

Having worked in engineering sales for several years, Luke was looking for a career switch and an opportunity to give back in the social service sector when he stumbled upon TSC. “I was excited to join TSC when I heard about their work with the Deaf community. It felt like everything was coming full circle – the sign language I’ve been learning since young can now be put into good use to help others!” says Luke.  

Finding Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities  

At TSC, Luke helps with job coaching and to oversee events for Deaf clients. As a job coach since 2019 under the Work Assistance Programme (WAP), he has worked with over 30 employers to provide jobs to persons with disabilities – including persons with intellectual disabilities and the Deaf. Through job assessments, Luke finds out the motivations and interests of these clients to match them to the right job.  

Caption: Luke guiding a client during job coaching. 

Getting these companies on board has been challenging but fulfilling. He shares, “It’s not easy for a person with disabilities to find sustained employment. It takes time for us to speak with employers, help them understand their situations and build goodwill so that they are open to employing a person with disabilities.”  To date, WAP has helped more than 500 clients find employment since its inception in 2006. Through this platform, Luke feels a sense of satisfaction when he helps a client find sustained employment and hears of their positive experiences.  

Building Awareness Through Youth Mentorship 

Luke also works with volunteers and partners to run events to reach out to Deaf youths through TSC’s Youth Group. The Youth Group was started in 2017 to provide a safe platform for Deaf youths to forge meaningful friendships and receive mentorship. The group has grown over the years and now supports over 30 youth members.  

Caption: Luke together with TSC's Youth Group and hearing friends from Republic Polytechnic's DEAFining at Pulau Ubin. 

“Through outdoor activities and sports, Deaf youths are given the opportunity to discover new interests outside of school and gain confidence in trying new things. Through this platform, our hearing volunteers have better awareness of the Deaf community and have learnt how to interact with them, which helps promote inclusiveness,” shares Luke.  

Learning to Persevere

Working in TSC has shown Luke the importance of extending patience and empathy to others.  

He shares, “Communication will never be perfect between a Deaf and a hearing person. There are bound to be gaps in understanding. Since I’m able to serve as the bridge between both people, I want to do my best to represent each person as accurately as possible, even if it means having to spend extra time clarifying what they mean.”  

Due to the nature of his role, Luke often spends his outside office hours planning and executing events with volunteers. Despite the long hours involved, Luke shares his conviction in pressing on, “I see value in doing this good work because I want to encourage the younger ones. Our job is not for clients to remain clients always, but to groom them to become confident enough to give back one day in whatever capacity they can!”

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TOUCH Silent Club (TSC) aims to help every deaf person integrate into society and empower them to be independent individuals by offering guidance in the areas of education, vocation, recreation and social development. Besides organising social and recreational activities for the Deaf, we also provide job placement, job counselling and lifeskills training under the Work Assistance Programme. TSC also organises sign language courses for the public to raise awareness about the Deaf and promote integration.  

 Story published in 2024.