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View all search resultsLearning Empathy: Indonesians enroll in sign language classes during pandemic
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Rezki (left) with the Parakerja team. (Personal collection/Courtesy of Parakerja)
Interest in learning sign language has risen as online classes make everything more accessible than ever.
For years, the country's deaf community has been spreading awareness of Indonesian Sign Language (BISINDO). Little did they know that the pandemic would provide the boost they needed — as people are forced to stay indoors, many have taken the opportunity to learn the language.
Parakerja is one online platform that provides sign language classes, among the many classes and programs that are on offer.
Before launching the company, Rezki Achyana, the 24-year-old CEO who lives in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka-Belitung Islands, said he was drawn to the issue of accessibility for people with hearing disabilities.
"I was the director for a foundation in Riau Islands [that] focused on education for children with disabilities, and managed four special schools in Batam, Tanjung Pinang and Tanjung Balai Karimun. A lot of alumni from our schools couldn't get a job because of their condition, and it's hard to have proper accessibility in their working environment."
"I did the research and was shocked to learn that only one out of 100 teachers in special schools teaches sign language to deaf children in Riau Islands — this is the root of the problem — that the deaf communities [are not properly taught to] communicate from an early age," Rezki said. "On the other hand, society — the working environment — doesn't understand how to communicate with deaf people through sign language."
Parakerja's app has been downloaded over 18,000 times since its launch in December 2019, with active users in 136 cities in Indonesia. They are now also available in three cities, including Batam, Jakarta and Pangkal Pinang.
