“GIVING THE “GIVING THE GIF
TO HEARIN THE HE TO THE [ BY CRY
one person make a in difference, es Can one person make Can a difference, especially the challenges face of problems and challenges the face of problems and that seem to be impossibly be impossibly huge? For an ordinaryhuge? personFor likean ordinary who had never been tra Haris Abbas, who had Haris neverAbbas, been trained in sign languagebefore, or special education language or special education taking on a before classstudents of hearing whole class of hearingwhole impaired mayimpaired stud have seemed daunting at the b have seemed quite daunting at the quite beginning.
Yet heinnot onlyhis persevered Yet he not only persevered giving students in giving h the best education possible, but he a the best education possible, but he also went conducting Google Hango beyond by conductingbeyond Google by Hangouts between students and other schools, to sp his students and otherhis schools, to spread greater about language and t awareness about sign awareness language and thesign challengfaced by those with hearing es faced by those witheshearing impediments. Read imped on for the inspiring story on for the inspiring story of Haris Abbas and SKof Haris Abb Pendidikan Khas, KotaPendidikan Kinabalu! Khas, Kota Kinabalu!
Pendidikan is ahearing primary school f SK Pendidikan Khas is aSK primary schoolKhas for the impaired in Tuaran, impaired located in Tuaran, 18 kmlocated away from Kota 18 km away Kinabalu. Thisinschool the only one in S Kinabalu. This school is the only one Sabahisproviding education to hearing-impaired education to hearing-impaired children. Many of its children. students come low-income students come from low-income groupsfrom in rural areas groups all offers over Sabah. The school from all over Sabah. Thefrom school full boarding and offers fu 80%inofthe theschool students reside 80% of the students reside during thein the school school year. school year.
of school the challenges that the school f Some of the challenges Some that the faces includes the fact that many of the students sent t the fact that many of the students sent to the school have not received from have not received special education from aspecial youngeducation age, causing them to beIndelayed academicall causing them to be delayed academically. addition, being away from their families being away from their families at such a young age andat such a also struggling to cope with a hearing di also struggling to cope with a hearing disability is tough thetokids. Theatkids sent to board a on the kids. The kids areon sent board the are school from as young as seven.from as young as seven.
e da k c he r a :n g e m a k e r : F e at u r e d cFheaat n gu erm
H A R I SHAABRBI SA SA B B A S 14
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“Being away from “Being away from their families at their fa young age and als such a young agesuch andaalso struggling to cope with a struggling to cope with a hearing is tough on the disability is toughdisability on the kids.”