PEKANBARU, RIAU – Sign language is the main form of communication for the Deaf, which is often not understood by the wider community. On the basis of equality, Dompet Dhuafa seeks to ground the Sign Language Al-Qur’an through training and certification for 45 participants who are teachers and the Deaf community in Pekanbaru, Riau, from Wednesday (12/2/2025) to Thursday (13/2/2025).
After the certification, on Friday (14/2/2025), Dompet Dhuafa representative, Anto Langgeng Prayoga, also accompanied the distribution of the Sign Language Al-Qur’an. Together with ESQ Kemanusiaan collaboration partners, he invited the training participants to move on to the teaching practice session.
“Hopefully this Sign Language Al-Qur’an can have an impact and be sustainable. Hopefully it can ignite the enthusiasm of deaf students to learn the Qur’an. Hopefully the friends of the Qur’an Sign training participants can spread this method even wider, especially to welcome the upcoming holy month of Ramadan,“ said Anto.
“In reading the Qur’an, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, the benefits can be felt by other deaf friends out there,” he continued.
A total of 16 special schools in Pekanbaru and its surroundings will receive teaching and 1,120 copies of the Al-Qur’an Isyarat on Friday (14/2/2025). The Dompet Dhuafa Reporting Team followed one of the teachers at the Pekanbaru Special School for the Deaf, Reny Sriyanti, who will teach deaf students at primary and secondary schools.
On the first day of implementation, Reny provided an understanding of the basics of hieroglyphics in sign language. SLB Pembina Pekanbaru itself has 88 deaf students, 67 of whom are Muslim. According to her, the students received it with great enthusiasm.
“Previously they learned the Qur’an with oral verbal techniques, just following the movements of the teacher’s mouth. Now, for the first time, they are learning the Qur’an in their main language, sign language. After this, I have been asked to teach at the Disability Center owned by the Disability Service Unit (ULD) of the Riau Provincial Social Service. Because this is new for them (Deaf students),” said Reny with a beaming laugh.
Read also: Commitment with ESQ Humanity to Realize Thousands of Signed Al-Qur’an Mushaf for Deaf Friends,
Dewi Anjanni, as the ESQ Kemanusian Representative, said that this implementation will run for three months in its development. The technical supervision is on the teaching method, the quality of the material, the teaching staff and their education, and the adjustment of strategies in the field. Teaching will be conducted twice a week.
“We have a WhatsApp group to coordinate with 45 teachers. There are three instruments for our coaching: Weekly Supervision Sheet, Monthly Evaluation Report, and Final Evaluation. For the latter, we will monitor directly for the participants’ progress. I hope that these 45 participants will spread their benefits to the surrounding environment, and continue to other areas,” explained Dewi.
One of the beneficiaries who is also a deaf student at SLB Pembina, Rasyid (16), said that he felt motivated to study the teachings of the Qur’an after receiving instruction from his teacher.
“Before, I didn’t know that there was a sign language version of the Qur’an. I am very happy to be able to learn the Qur’an using sign language. Indeed, it is easier to use this method. Hopefully, I can practice it more widely,” explained Rasyid in sign language.
Dompet Dhuafa is committed to ensuring that every Muslim has equal access to the Qur’an, including the Deaf. Friends, you can also contribute and help the Deaf access the Qur’an through the Sign Language Qur’an Donation. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Hany Fatihah Ahmad
Editor: Dhika