Status of hearing-impaired tour guides of Angeles city, Pampanga, Philippines: a basis for a proposed intervention program

Abstract

Angeles City, Pampanga established the first ever accredited and certified hearing-impaired tour guides in the Philippines. A qualitative method research was developed to propose an intervention program for the hearing-impaired tour guides through assessment of the current status of the hearing-impaired tour guides and efforts of stakeholders. Different frameworks were used to identify the effectiveness of the training, communication and interpretation skills of hearing-impaired tour guides by conducting review of different documents, in-depth interview and focus group discussion. There is an effective training program given to the participants, but problems emerge especially on the sustainability and the long-term programs for the hearing-impaired tour guides.