The Benilde Center for Education Advancement of the Deaf (CEAD) and the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) facilitated a five-day creative signing workshop in Panglao, Bohol from June 11 to 15, 2025, titled Handcrafts: A Creative Signing Workshop. The program was organized by Deaf Boholanos Society Inc. (DBS). It brought together Deaf community leaders and Benilde Deaf associates to strengthen Filipino Sign Language (FSL) literature as a tool for cultural empowerment.
Facilitators Ms. Lorhen Joy Sumili (Benilde-CEAD), Mr. Michael Vea (SDEAS), and Mr. Shaquille De Guzman (CPD-SDEAS) guided ten participants through activities designed to build confidence and creativity in FSL storytelling. “Deaf people need encouragement because literature is an important part of our culture and heritage,” Ms. Joy Sumili shared.
For the Deaf community, literature is more than artistic expression—it preserves memory, identity, and resilience. Yet, as Sumili emphasized, FSL literature remains underappreciated and difficult to access due to limited institutional resources and persistent linguistic barriers.
To help address this gap, the workshop introduced four core FSL storytelling techniques: the ABC technique, number technique, handshape rhyme, and visual vernacular. These structured learning spaces expand the visibility of Deaf literature and support its continued growth.
