First Deaf Recipient of the Public Service Medal (Posthumous)

The Singapore Association for the Deaf is proud to announce Mr Peng Tsu Ying (92), the late former trustee of the Association will be receiving the highly-honoured Public Service Medal (Posthumous) at the National Day Awards in 2019 for his selfless dedication to Deaf education for decades.

About Mr Mr Peng Tsu Ying

Mr Peng, who passed away in October last year, lost his hearing at the age of five after taking too much medicine for a high fever. After receiving education for the Deaf in Hong Kong and Shanghai, he came to Singapore in 1948 to help his father in his business. When he arrived, he realised that Singapore did not have a Deaf school and he decided to establish one, so that the Deaf can have access to education.

However, the colonial government then only approved him to run a school at his home. He then started his private school in 1951, initially with only nine students. With the help of his reporter friends, Mr Peng published articles in two Chinese newspapers to advertise his school and raised $5000. In 1954, he established the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf at Charlton Road in 1954, using Shanghainese Sign Language as the medium of instruction.

The school merged with the Oral School for the Deaf, established by the Singapore Red Cross, in 1963 to form the Singapore School for the Deaf. Mr Peng was one of its founding Principals and led the school’s Chinese Sign Language department.

Besides dedicating his life to Deaf education, Mr Peng was also an outstanding motor racer. From 1959 to 1967, he won 36 trophies in the local motorsport races with his Lotus open-top sports car. In a media interview after a race in 1975, he said that he took part in motorsports to prove that “being deaf is no handicap in being skillful.”

Mr Peng is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

First Deaf Recipient of the Public Service Medal (Posthumous)
The Singapore Association for the Deaf is proud to announce Mr Peng Tsu Ying (92), the late former trustee of the Association will be receiving the highly-honoured Public Service Medal (Posthumous) at the National Day Awards in 2019 for his selfless dedication to Deaf education for decades. About Mr Mr Peng Tsu YingMr Peng, who passed away in October last year, lost his hearing at the age of five after taking too much medicine for a high fever. After receiving education for the Deaf in Hong Kong and Shanghai, he came to Singapore in 1948 to help his father in his business. When he arrived, he realised that Singapore did not have a Deaf school and he decided to establish one, so that the Deaf can have access to education. However, the colonial government then only approved him to run a school at his home. He then started his private school in 1951, initially with only nine students. With the help of his reporter friends, Mr Peng published articles in two Chinese newspapers to advertise his school and raised $5000. In 1954, he established the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf at Charlton Road in 1954, using Shanghainese Sign Language as the medium of instruction. The school merged with the Oral School for the Deaf, established by the Singapore Red Cross, in 1963 to form the Singapore School for the Deaf. Mr Peng was one of its founding Principals and led the school’s Chinese Sign Language department. Besides dedicating his life to Deaf education, Mr Peng was also an outstanding motor racer. From 1959 to 1967, he won 36 trophies in the local motorsport races with his Lotus open-top sports car. In a media interview after a race in 1975, he said that he took part in motorsports to prove that “being deaf is no handicap in being skillful.” Mr Peng is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Posted by The Singapore Association for the Deaf on Tuesday, 27 August 2019

First Deaf Recipient of the Public Service Medal (Posthumous)