BTS
(Breaking The Silence)
SCOME CIMSA FK UNISBA
On 12th -14th October 2020, SCOME CIMSA FK Unisba in association with DPD GERKATIN Jabar and Pusbisindo Jabar held an activity called Breaking The Silence. This activity was held based on secondary data acquired form International Labor Organization Jakarta which stated that there’s so many people with special needs around us, especially deaf people. People with such disabilities cannot communicate with normal means like common people, they communicate mainly by using sign language, thus creating a problem that we tried to tackle. According to primary data which was assessed through Unisba’s medical students, most respondents stated that they felt like knowing sign language was important for future doctors, and that they were interested to learn sign language, especifically on clinical practice. This event strove to break down the wall of miscommunication between future doctors and deaf patients by teaching medical students the deaf culture and sign language, especifically those that were used in clinical practice. This event was held in three days and were attended by medical students of Unisba, with different materials discussed each day.
On the first day, the resource person, Sry Kurnia Purwaningsih, staff member of DPD GERKATIN Jawa Barat and sign language teacher of Pusbisindo Jawa Barat, explained the deaf culture, the definition of it, what makes it special, and how deaf people communicate with one another. Besides that, the first day was filled with games and introduction between participants. On the second day, the resource person taught basic sign language, such as alphabet and introducing oneself.
On the last day, the resource person taught sign language that were used in clinical practice, such as sign language on the words sick, dizzy, prescription, healthy, and so on, also the participants were encouraged to train one another in taking history. All the activities were done with a pre-test before the presentation of the materials and a post-test after the materials were presented. There were an increase in average score between pre-test and post-test, and the participants seemed to be very excited when practicing sign language in the event. Although there were some trouble along the way of the event, it was held rather successfully with participants that joined the training seemed to be enthusiastic and eager to learn. This event has a potential to be better in the future. Hopefully with this event, people especially medical students, will realize the importance of learning sign language.
