23/09/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐, ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ญ
When the ears and mouth are no longer enough, the hands and heart make up for itโdelivering words you could only see. Around 70 million deaf people worldwide express themselves through hand gestures and sign language, connecting with the community despite their disability. In turn, people without hearing loss have started adapting sign languages as a way to reciprocate the efforts of the deaf community and interact with them.
Sign language offers valuable knowledge and skills in visual-gestural communication (VGC)โa mode of non-verbal expression focused on body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Not only does it serve as a bridge to connect with the deaf community, but also improve one's communication skill and brain functions such as focus and coordination.
In the Philippines, approximately 540,000 out of 1,784,690 Filipinos with hearing disabilities use Filipino Sign Language (FSL), according to research by Liberty Notarte-Balanquit. Legalized in 2018, FSL was formally recognized as the national sign language of the country by Republic Act No. 11106 and has been widely used even today. Although it shares some similar signs with the American Sign Language (ASL), FSL remains an independent language with its own grammar and structure. In modern settings, it serves both as a mode of communication and a reflection of culture, values, and linguistic identity of the Filipino Deaf Community.
For some, sign language is simply one of the tools to communicate, but for others, it is a way to express oneself far beyond words.
Scitech by Alyannah Iyo
Copyedited by Jace Bernaldo
Layout by Herson Batac
