KIM SANG AH

Before we started work on our task for WOW!, we were given a taster of the Hush experience. Our external mentor, as well as Hush’s deaf partner, led us through the four zones of a Hush experience while had earplugs on, to simulate deafness. We learned how to use sign language to express a few simple feelings, and some simple phrases. We were then taught about resilience, and how it is not merely about being tough, but that there were three different types of resilience, and they were more about perseverance and being kind to yourself. Our mentor also led us through a series of breathing and body awareness exercises, before we moved on to the final zone, where we could reflect on the experience we had just undergone. Through the experience, we had our eyes opened in a very powerful way, and it allowed us to internalise the value of the task we would be working on for the next few weeks.

One of the greatest takeaways from this attachment was the knowledge we gained about interacting with, and accommodating for, people who are different from the majority - in particular, disabled people and people facing mental health issues. For instance, Dr Edwin introduced us to the concept of access needs. He explained to us that they were requirements that had to be met for something to be accessible to someone, and that everyone had access needs. For example, in order to use a lift, a person with the ability to see would still require numbers to be on the buttons. Certain people had less common access needs, such as the need for wheelchair ramps, or signs in braille. For everyone’s access needs to be met, we learned, infrastructural change is very important. We also learned more about sign language, and observed the importance of communication as we watched the hearing interact with the deaf in the workplace. Being exposed to these concepts and people who are different from us also allowed me to realise that people who are different are not necessarily better or worse off than we are. For example, hearing people may have prejudices against the deaf for not being able to communicate in spoken language, but the same hearing people may not be able to communicate in sign language. Both groups of people merely have different abilities. This is something which I grew very conscious of during the time in which I was attached to Hush Teabar.

Another important lesson I learnt was on taking care of myself. The Hush experience teaches participants to connect with themselves by taking time to be silent, and to be kind to themselves, by letting them work through their negative emotions rather than stifling them. It also provides participants with an avenue to relax and be calm for a moment amidst their hectic lives. These were all things I internalised in the time I spent working with Hush, and I found myself taking more time to be alone, and pausing to disconnect from the stressors and constant streams of information in my life. These lessons are valuable, especially at this point in time, with two hectic years of JC life awaiting all of us.

Finally, I also learned some practical skills that would be useful for the workplace in the future, such as writing proposals, and communicating through email. Through our tasks, I also learned how to make presentations more convincing, and gained experience in coming up with simple designs for promotional material.

Firstly, the dynamics of the workplace were very different from any others I had previously been exposed to. Having both deaf and hearing coworkers in the same space brings with it many differences as compared to other workspaces with primarily hearing people, with one notable difference being means of communication, and the differences in body language that accompany them. Our mentor carried a whiteboard marker around with him, in case anyone needed to convey an idea beyond their skill level at sign language. While our mentor spoke to us, he would simultaneously gesture using sign language so his hearing coworkers could follow along. While these differences may seem like obvious necessities in a workplace with both hearing and deaf people, it was still very interesting to see it unfold in real life.

It was also interesting (as much as heartwarming) to see the passion everyone at Hush Teabar had for their work. Even though the workload at Hush is very much subject to the demands of its clients, it was obvious that everyone working there was determined to do their work to the best of their ability, and believed that their work made a positive impact. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the founder of Hush is a Member of Parliament, and continues social advocacy work, ensuring that topics such as mental health issues remain relevant concerns to be addressed in the eyes of our government and the public.