Peng Tsu Ying, founder of Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) and pioneer deaf educator who brought sign language to Singapore, has passed away at the age of 92.

In a post on Tuesday, Oct. 23, the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) expressed their sadness and condolences for Peng's family. The post, written by the President of SADeaf Martin Marini, also mentioned the indelible and immense contribution Peng made to the deaf community in Singapore.

Here's the text from the full post, for your convenience:

Dear all,

It is with great sadness that we share with you, the news of our Founder and Pioneer Deaf Educator, Mr Peng Tsu Ying’s passing.

Mr Peng co-founded the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf in 1954 and became the first deaf principal in Singapore. His main goal for starting the school was to educate deaf children. He spent 35 years of his life teaching, inspiring and mentoring generation of deaf students. We owe it to our Founder and Pioneer Deaf Educator, Mr Peng Tsu Ying, to whom we should be profoundly thankful and grateful for.

Mr Peng’s extraordinary leadership and immense contributions to our Deaf and Hard-of-hearing community are widely acknowledged as we mourn the loss of our Founder and Pioneer Deaf Educator.

On behalf of our members and friends in the deaf community; my colleagues in the Executive Council, management and staff, we extend our deepest condolences to Mr Peng’s family.

Sincerely,

Martin Marini

President

The Singapore Association for the Deaf

24 October 2018

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He was also an endearing figure to Singapore's young deaf community.

Dedicated and determined deaf educator

Peng became deaf at the age of six, and was educated in Shanghainese Sign Language (SSL) in Hong Kong. When he arrived in Singapore, he noticed the lack of education for the deaf in Singapore so he approached the authorities to start a school but did not succeed. That did not deter him from sharing his knowledge anyway — he began teaching sign language in 1951 at his own home. Using SSL, he taught the deaf to read in Chinese and other subjects.

In 1954, he and his wife successfully started the first deaf school in Singapore, the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf, along Charlton Road in Serangoon with the support of a few Chinese merchants.

He persevered through the social stigma associated with people with disabilities, even giving up on the chance to go to university to teach deaf children in Singapore. He hoped to help them to become useful citizens of the society. Peng would devote 35 years to educating and inspiring generations of deaf students.

In 1963, the Singapore Chinese Sign School for the Deaf eventually merged with another, called the Oral School for the Deaf, to form the Singapore School for the Deaf (SSD). Peng was one of the two principals, taking charge of the Chinese Sign Section.

He embodied the motto of the school, "Success through Determination" even in his silver years. 

Besides being the founder of SADeaf, he was also for 25 years a member of the Disabled People's Association Singapore (DPA). The DPA also posted this tribute to him:

Thank you, Mr Peng, for your contributions and perseverance in bettering Singapore's inclusiveness.

Top photo from Singapore Deaf Youth Section

 

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