Silence has taken over the maths class at Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Wilton, although occasional bouts of giggles break out.
Deaf pupil Rahui Lee, 11, leads the year 7 and 8 class in a sign language game of mastermind, in which pupils have to guess a mystery four-digit number by signing.
Hands wave furiously to get Rahui’s attention, and he basks in the glow of sharing his language with his classmates.
Despite his confidence, Rahui is still learning sign language himself.
Born deaf, he got a cochlear implant at 4 and was never taught sign language, instead being encouraged to speak and lip-read at school in Hamilton.
The implant did not work for Rahui, however.
He didn’t like wearing it and it never gave him full hearing, mother Karamea Lee said.
Being forced to behave like a hearing child meant his schooling suffered, Lee said.
“It was bollocks. Support was zero. It’s like teaching a blind person how to see.”
A move to Tawa two years ago gave the family a fresh start, and the whole family – Lee, Rahui and his six siblings – began learning sign language.
“Rahui has accepted he’s deaf and he’s happy with that. We’ll just have to learn sign language,” Lee said.
The Government only funds teacher aides for deaf children part-time.
On Fridays, when Rahui has no assistance, he comes home from school completely exhausted from communicating his thoughts in writing, Lee said.
For high school next year, Lee is considering sending Rahui to board at Van Asch deaf school in Christchurch.
“I don’t want to hold his education back. He really needs to be full-on educated by deaf teachers and know deaf peers,” she said.
Ms Lee chose Sacred Heart for Rahui’s intermediate schooling because he can sign with another deaf pupil, 12-year-old Zoe Ferguson, of Titahi Bay.
Zoe’s father is deaf and she is bilingual in sign language and spoken English.
What’s more, Zoe has a fulltime sign language interpreter, Angela Murray, fought for and partially funded by her family.
Murray is an asset to Rahui, too, when his part-time teacher aide, Pam Witko, is not available.
Murray is Wellington’s only school interpreter, and has been Zoe’s fulltime school companion for three years.
Bilingualism was the way to go for children even if they had a cochlear implant, Murray said.
“Cochlear implants can be a great tool for some deaf people.
“But at the end of the day, when the cochlear comes off they are still deaf, and that is why sign language is vital,” she said.
“Even hearing babies are encouraged to communicate in sign language.”
Photo Caption – Helping hands: Sign language interpreter Angela Murray with deaf pupil Rahui Lee at Wilton’s Sacred Heart Cathedral School.
