Deaf dancer received Outstanding Deaf Achiever Award

Deaf dancer received Outstanding Deaf Achiever Award

Publication: Lianhe Zaobao
Date: 18 September 2018
Reported by: Wang Tingting
Translated by: Loke Jia Li

How did a dancer who cannot hear music manage to dance on stage?

Gan Jun Huan, a 20-year-old who loves dancing, is Deaf. The Beatty Secondary School student can only hear faint sounds and has to pay closer attention to her dance partners to ensure her dance moves are accurate.

She said: “I love dancing, so I don’t feel tired at all.”

Jun Huan was awarded the Deaf Achievers Award – Special Talent by The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) this year.

The International Week of the Deaf (IWD) cum Awards Ceremony was held last Saturday. Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Education, Mr Chee Hong Tat was the Guest-of-Honour.

More than 100 people gathered at Toa Payoh on that day to sign words in sign language, in the hope to set a record in the Singapore Book of Records for “The Most Number of Signs posted on Facebook in 2 Hours”.

SADeaf will organise events in conjunction with the IWD from 24th to 30th September to promote the status of sign languages and the rights of deaf people. The theme for this year is “With Sign Language, Everyone is Included”.

SADeaf Executive Director Sylvia Teng said: “Through various activities, we hope to promote greater public awareness of the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing community.”

At the IWD cum Awards Ceremony, there were many activities for members of the public to participate in, such as learning basic signs and games to understand the challenges the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing community face. Volunteers also put up performances to lift up the atmosphere.

In an interview, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic student who performed at the event said that they hope to encourage the Deaf and the Hard-of-hearing to lead positive lives through dance. In line with the theme this year, they included many signs in their dance moves and made some enhancements to help the public understand the signs better.