Meet the Leader Amanda Farliany (Deaf YouTuber): Invite to Learn Sign Language to Prevent Communication Barrier

Amanda Farliany,Deaf YouTuber

"Hello friends, how are you? This time we will tell you about how deaf people like us can drive a car," Amanda Farliany greeted her followers on YouTube in a vlog entitled "We Are Deaf but We Can Drive a Car ".

Amanda Farliany, more known to her friends as Manda, is a deaf YouTuber with 41 thousand account followers. Through her YouTube account, she shares tips on communicating using Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo). The mother of three children wishes there will be no more communication barriers between the deaf people and their hearing friends. 

"Through YouTube, I want to introduce the deaf world to people," she said.

Also through YouTube, Manda hopes to help fellow deaf people to establish communication at home and that with the hearing community. She shared her experience with her husband, Tonanda Putra or Tonan, who is also deaf, interacting with their three hearing children. Manda shared their struggle to raise the children. For her, there’s nothing that the deaf cannot do.

"Just like the hearing, the deaf can also cook, drive, work, and so on. I want to open my friends’ eyes about the deaf people, so they can see that we are not pitiful. We can also do many things,“ she said.

This way, Manda said, the hearing can change their attitudes and build trust and equal opportunities to the deaf. For example, in terms of employment opportunities. Amanda career as YouTuber was very much motivated by her interest in watching various content on the platform.

"But, what I watched was not equipped with a text. So I wanted to create a content on my own. I want to place my own content on YouTube. I want to prove that I can also create content on YouTube. I don’t think I have come across with content about deafness,“ she said.

In her childhood, during elementary school she was often bullied, especially as the school was a non-inclusive one. Manda said she often just froze when her friends laughed at and ridiculed her.

She did not know and understand what they were saying to her. She just cried and felt helpless. Her condition at that time caused Manda to be introverted.

“However, I still had friends who consoled me, every time I had hard times," she said.

That support made her regain confidence.

Developing Careers for Persons with Disabilities in the Entertainment Industry

Before becoming a YouTuber, Amanda was a model. It was not easy for her to become a professional model.

"In the junior high school yearbook, I wrote that I wanted to be a model. I was ridiculed and they said it was impossible. “You can’t even talk clearly," said Manda. 

The dream of becoming a model at that time began with Manda's desire to follow in the footsteps of her aunt who is an artist. She often accompanied her aunt, and soon she got an opportunity to appear on a calendar. But, again the road was not smooth. Amanda had been rejected by magazines three times because of her hearing condition. Until one day, Aneka Yess Magazine accepted her. She participated in a model competition held by the magazine and was chosen to be one of the finalists.

"Of the 14 thousand people who competed, 40 were shortlisted. I did not expect to be one of the few select. I just realized, even a deaf can have this dream," said Manda in the Road to IDF 2019 event titled "Room E: The Future is Us: Women Also Have Opportunities" in Jakarta on June 22, 2019.

The "E" referred to in "Room E" means "Elevate, Equip, Evolve, Empower," as reflected in Amanda’s struggle to achieve her goals of becoming a YouTuber and a model. Room E aimed to create a cohesive and exciting event to support young women to improve their skills and support each other. This event presented inspirational women who had unique careers to show potential job opportunities outside the traditional path which could lead to leadership and empowerment.

During the quarantine at Aneka Yess Model Competition, she felt alone. Nobody helped her to know what the instructors were conveying, such as what costume to wear, what time to gather, etc.

"Until finally there were four models that helped me, one of them was Luna Maya," she said.

At the event Amanda received a special award. After this competition, Manda was often called to become a magazine and advertisement model. She was also hired as a model in a video clip featuring Leto Band. The peak of her career in the field of art was when she starred in a film in Malaysia.

"I displayed sign language for the first time in that film. That was the first time I promoted it,“ she continued.

Since then, Amanda is no longer ashamed to admit being deaf and use sign language. Now, Amanda continues to develop sign language to the public through her YouTube content. She wanted more deaf and hearing people to interact through sign language.

"Nothing is impossible," she said.

Manda already prove it through hard work to achieve her dreams to become a model and YouTuber.

“Don't ever give up pursuing your dreams. Don't be ashamed of being deaf. Everyone has a chance to succeed," she continued.

Manda invites you to be part of IDF 2019 "Mission Possible: Seizing the Opportunities of Future Work to Drive Inclusive Growth". "Because everyone has a chance," she concluded.