Hands that Speak, Businesses that Thrive

At INTI International University, education extends beyond the classroom. Through Sign it Loud, a student-led initiative by the Faculty of Business & Communications (FBC), students brought learning to life by promoting Deaf-owned businesses and raising awareness of sign language across the INTI community.

Organised as part of a General Studies subject, the initiative required students to work in teams over four weeks to plan and implement a community-focused project. It was designed to provide students with practical experience while addressing real-world social issues.

According to Klara Arokiyasamy, Senior Lecturer at FBC and subject lead, the idea for Sign it Loud originated from her colleague, Nadia Abd Shukor, a Lecturer at the Faculty of Health and Sciences.

“This initiative was proposed by my colleague, Nadia Abd Shukor, who is the mother of a Deaf child,” Klara explained. “We aimed to provide students with hands-on learning while also addressing a meaningful social issue. Through this, students were introduced to the basics of Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM), especially the alphabet. There are more than 300 different types of sign languages globally, and we believe learning even the basics help foster inclusion.”

Alongside language awareness, the event also aimed to spotlight Deaf-owned businesses, underscoring the value of ‘silent’ enterprises and the potential they hold.

“We want the wider public to recognise the value of ‘silent’ enterprises. There is so much potential within the Deaf community that often goes unnoticed,” Klara added.

For Nadia Abd Shukor, who lectures at INTI’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, the event carried personal significance.

“My son is 16 years old and is currently studying under the PPKI Programme at a school in Putrajaya. Because his disability is not visible, he often struggles to communicate with the hearing world,” she shared. “I just want everyone to know the basics of how to sign. If more people can sign, even just the alphabet, it will make a big difference for the Deaf community. It’s about making them feel seen, heard, and included.”

To bring these ideas to life, students organised an on-campus event featuring a series of interactive booths and activities designed to educate, engage, and garner support for the Deaf community.
Among these was a booth run by Bachelor in Business Administration students Tammy Wong and Nigina Mayusupova, whose team promoted the Deaf-in-Business (DIB) Restaurant while introducing passers-by to basic BIM.

“We’re excited to promote this restaurant, which has good food, to the INTI community,” said Tammy. “We also designed a fun game where passers-by learned how to sign the alphabet. If they could successfully sign their names, they received goodies sponsored by the restaurant.”

Both Tammy and Nigina found the experience enriching.

“We had so much fun. It felt good to be doing something meaningful while applying what we’ve learnt in our programme,” they said. “Even though we communicated differently, our efforts bear fruit, and we’re excited to share what we learn with our visitors today.”

Sign it Loud made space for something often overlooked. By learning sign language, communicating with Deaf vendors, and supporting their businesses, students did more than just complete a task—they demonstrated what practical, inclusive learning can be at INTI.

 

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