The silent quest: Deaf-mute children in search of literacy

Nuong is one of two boys born deaf and mute in Doan Ket village in the Laos-bordering Muong Lat District of Thanh Hoa Province. The village does not have a special school for them, so teachers just do anything they can to give the boys enjoyable school days.

In early June, as the village experienced scorching heat from the Foehn effect, its children, on summer vacation, frolicked barefoot and bare-headed, with some entertaining themselves with marbles, hide and seek, or mobile phones while their parents worked in the fields.

Lo Thi Ep sits by her family's hut-like home. Photo by Le Hoang

In a small stilt house of more than ten square meters located a few steps from the village's community house, Nuong sat on the doorstep flipping through a worn, discolored, crumpled book. Occasionally, he fumbled to write a few unclear strokes, understood only by him and his former teacher. Nuong would sometimes look up and smile, muttering inaudibly.

During the 2023-2024 school year, Nuong studied class 4E at Ten Tan Primary School's Doan Ket subdivision. He is expected to move to grade 5 despite not meeting the required standards. Teacher Ha Van Mon explained that the school allows Nuong to progress to keep up with his peers.

"Seeing his love for school and good behavior, teachers often give him special attention to encourage the boy’s efforts," said Mon.

Over a decade ago, Lo Thi Ep, then 15, married Pit Van Dien. They had two sons, with Nuong being the elder. Though he appeared healthy, Nuong still could not speak by the time he finished kindergarten. Years later, a medical examination revealed he suffered from congenital deaf-mutism.

Without a desk, Pit Van Nuong sits and writes on the floor of his stilt house under the guidance of teacher Ha Van Mon (C). Photo by Le Hoang

The mother had no choice but to accept her child's fate. Lacking the resources to enroll Nuong in a specialized class for children with disabilities, his parents relied on teachers' support. The teachers facilitated Nuong's integration into a regular classroom, hoping he might grasp some knowledge through exposure to typical lessons.

"He is diligent, rarely missing a class throughout elementary school," said Mon. Nuong understands his teachers through their intonations and gestures, as he cannot write and only imitates drawings from textbooks or the blackboard. His notebook is filled with fragmented lessons and empty pages.

"We figured it's best to send him to school, as there aren't many things he can help us with at home," said Ep, speaking in the Khmu language, as she barely knows Kinh, the main language in Vietnam.

According to village head Van Dan, Nuong's family is the second poorest in the village. Previously living with her maternal family, Ep and her husband moved to a separate dwelling in 2023, building a temporary house on a 40-square-meter land, borrowed from their brother-in-law's family. 

Dien built the house on stilts, about 15 square meters wide and ramshackle down the slope, in four days. From a distance, it looks like a hut that villagers often make for farming. "We begged for old tiles and cut trusses from the forest," Dien said. There were no valuable assets in the house other than a few misshapen pots lying on the floor and a pile of stained blankets and mats placed in the corner of the house.

Currently, Dien's family consists of six people, including two orphans. Two years ago, Ep's younger sister succumbed to cancer, leaving her two children without guardians. They moved in with the couple.

"They live in extreme poverty," said a village teacher. "Besides the monthly rice and government support, Ep and her husband often forage for wild vegetables and bamboo shoots in the mountains to feed their family."

Pit Van Dien and his wife do not have a stable job. The family's meager income comes from a nearly one-hectare cassava field, yielding less than VND1 million (US$40) annually. Dien also takes on odd construction jobs but rarely earns much.

The young father dreams of building a small house to shield his family from the rain and sun, but that dream remains unattainable.

Also in class 4E, alongside Pit Van Nuong, 10-year-old Luong Van Tap faces similar challenges. Tap was born deaf and mute and also suffers from poor eyesight. Mon, a village teacher at Doan Ket for over 20 years, shared that it was only last year he started teaching students with such special needs. Guiding two disabled students simultaneously has added complexity to his teaching responsibilities.

In addition to lesson plans for regular groups of children, he must spend time understanding the habits and personalities of Nuong and Tap to further guide and tutor the children. Since the two male students both had difficulty communicating, in addition to learning the Khmu language, Mon often had to use intonation and combine physical movements to convey the lesson. "Lessons for disabled children often take longer," the teacher said.

Though unsure if his teachings are effective, Mon hopes Nuong and Tap might eventually recognize letters and numbers.

Luong Van Tap shows off his notebook with scribbled handwriting. Photo by Le Hoang

Doan Ket village, home to nearly 800 residents across around 170 households, is situated approximately 270 km from Thanh Hoa city center. The village is entirely populated by the Khmu ethnic group. Life here remains challenging, with the economy primarily dependent on subsistence farming and a few scattered fields.

The local school serves 82 students across five grade levels. However, due to a shortage of classrooms, two of these grades are temporarily being taught in the village's cultural building.