Rachel Ramadhini, Taking Up the Voice of ‘Deaf Friends’

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Rachel Rahmadhini.

A painting of a Sumatran rafflesia earned Rachel Ramadhini, 19, an award in the “best synopsis” category at an international body painting competition last week. She could hardly believe her achievement. The perseverance she nurtured in school had finally paid off.

A vast, painted expanse of a Sumatran tropical forest covered the body of her model. Precisely in the heart of the forest, a giant flower bloomed, its dark red color standing out amid the lush green foliage.

After painting her model’s body for five hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 2 Sept. 2021, the Rafflesia arnoldii, or giant padma, bloomed to life in its new esthetic iteration. The body painting was recreated at the Cidesco Virtual Makeup & Body Art Competition 2021 on 8 Sept.

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Without a doubt, Rachel’s body painting spurred admiration. The committee of the Cidesco Make Up & Body Art Competition described her painting and accompanying synopsis of having perfect unity with the contest’s theme, “The Beauty of Tropical Paradise”.

“I am surprised… [and] happy to receive this honor,” Rachel said in her soft and stuttering voice on Wednesday (15/9/2021). She was trying hard so the person talking to her could understand what she was saying. Her hands aided her speech with sign language.

The international body art contest on 8 Sept. involved participants from 56 countries, with Indonesia hosting the event this year. As it was held during the Covid-19 pandemic, the competition was held semi-virtually, with Indonesian contestants gathering in Bandung, West Java, as the overseas participants joined virtually.

KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN

Rachel Rahmadhini (19) melukis bunga Rafflesia arnoldii pada rekannya sesama teman tuli, di Kota Jambi, Kamis (2/9/2021).

Rachel’s victory has strengthened her determination to succeed and at the same time prove that people with disabilities were no less capable of making achievements. Her hearing and speech impairment is offset by her proficiency in sign language, and she is currently an interpreter for a variety of programs.

Speech therapy

Rachel was born a healthy, normal baby 19 years ago. When she was 1 year old, she developed a high fever and seizures. Not long afterward, her parents Ratumas Susy Fauziah and Agus Salim discovered something unusual about her. She no longer spoke, and did not respond when they called her name.

Her parents were extremely worried and took Rachel to see the doctor. Only then was the problem diagnosed. She had become hearing and speech impaired.

The improvements motivated her family to provide her with further guidance

Confronted with this reality, her parents did not lose hope. As she grew, Rachel received speech therapy. Through constant exercises to learn how to move her mouth, Rachel was finally able to communicate with her family by observing the shapes their mouths made while speaking. Later, she began speaking again, although her voice was faint and halting. The improvements motivated her family to provide her with further guidance.

When she reached school age, Rachel was sent to the Prof. Dr. Sri Soedewi Masjchun Sofwan Special School in the city of Jambi, in the province of the same name. She began to learn sign language.

From elementary school to senior high school, the school introduces children with special needs to various skills. Rachel was initially interested in fashion and fine arts. Over the last three years, she studied body painting. She was very keen on this art.

“When she picks up a brush, she can become engrossed in painting from morning to afternoon,” said her teacher Anisa.

Her talent in painting was beginning to bear fruit. Rachel was the champion of the Jambi Province National Student Skills Competition in 2019. She went on to participate in other national and international events.

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This year, Rachel graduate senior high school and joined the Movement for the Welfare of Deaf Indonesians (Gerkatin) to look after deaf women. She is also a coordinator of the Jambi provincial branch of the Indonesian Sign Language Center (Pusbisindo), which promoted solidarity among the deaf and hearing impaired in Jambi. Rachel aspires to develop sign language so it is better accepted by the public.

In anticipation of International Day of Sign Languages on 23 Sept., the local deaf community is holding a training program in cooperation with the Jambi Language Envoy that includes a sign language workshop. The first workshop, held on Saturday in the auditorium of the Jambi Language Office, attracted many young people. The registration quota has been reached for another session to be held next Saturday for new participants.

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Rachel Ramadhini (19) Teman Tuli dan Seniman Body Painting, di Jambi, Rabu (16/9/2021).

Amid the growing solidarity among her peers, Rachel is giving voice to the frequent discrimination that the hearing impaired experience. “The problems that the hearing impaired face have been even bigger during the pandemic,” she said.

First, the deaf are vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus. In order to understand what others are saying, the hearing impaired, who generally cannot hear speech and do not speak, need to observe the shapes the speaker’s mouth makes, or lip-read. Communication is hampered if a mask is covering their mouths. They often encounter this dilemma, which prompts them to remove their masks.

They are typically rejected when a company learns that they are hearing impaired.

Another dilemma is the difficulty they experience in accessing various services. According to Rachel, for example, a senior high school graduate of a special school usually finds it hard to gain admission to universities. In the world of work, the hearing impaired experience difficulties in getting a job. They are typically rejected when a company learns that they are hearing impaired. Only a handful of companies show any concern for them.

Rachel hopes the world will open its heart to the hearing impaired, who were striving to overcome the various limitations by honing the talents and skills they possess. “Differences should not be an impediment,” she said, because humans live to complement each other.

Rachel Ramadhini

Born: Jambi, 22 Nov. 2002

Father: Agus Salim, 54

Mother: Ratumas Susy Fauziah, 44

Siblings: Salsabila Rahdatul Aisy and Bungas Alesha Orlin

Achievements:

- Best Synopsis, Cidesco Makeup & Body Art Competition 2021, 8 Sept.

- Champion, Jambi Province National Student Skills Competition 2019

Organizations:

- Chairwoman of Women’s Empowerment, Movement for the Welfare of Deaf Indonesians (Gerkatin), Jambi province

- Coordinator, Indonesian Sign Language Center (Pusbisindo), Jambi province

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)