On October 9, 2024, Dr. Liliosa Palce, Supervisor of the DepEd Schools Division Office (SDO) Muntinlupa), together with Dr. Antonio Gagala and Dr. Antonio Rocha, principals of Soldiers Hills Elementary School and Pedro E. Diaz High School, met with Benilde administrators and the Center for Education Advancement of the Deaf (CEAD) to discuss potential collaboration in establishing Deaf-centered inclusive schools in the division.
During the meeting, CEAD presented its initiatives that promote Sign Bilingual Education and advance Deaf learners’ academic success through Deaf-centered approaches in education, research, linguistics, and innovation. Central to MLITEDCE’s framework is the active involvement of Deaf individuals in designing and refining programs to ensure empowerment, accessibility, and inclusion.
CEAD also introduced several of its key innovations, including the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Handbook and Dictionary, FSL Signbank, Academic FSL Dictionary, and Deaf Literature resources. In addition, CEAD shared updates on ongoing research and training focused on Deaf-centered bilingual strategies.
Dr. Palce and the DepEd representatives expressed strong interest in these initiatives, acknowledging the urgent need for qualified Deaf and hearing teachers proficient in FSL to strengthen language access and cognitive development in Deaf education.
As a next step, CEAD and DepEd SDO Muntinlupa agreed to initiate formal discussions to identify partnership areas that will support the creation of Deaf-centered schools in the city.
This initiative forms part of the Model Learning Institute on Deaf-Centered Education (MLITEDCE), made possible through a grant from The Nippon Foundation of Japan.
