Page 28 - Mann Ki Baat September 2022
P. 28
Indian Sign Language
A Symbol of Pride and Identity
Hearing loss is the most
No obstacle can stand in
the way of a person who has common sensory deficit in
been forged by the struggles of humans today. India is home to
life. There are many people who approximately 6.3 crore people
are either unable to hear, or who are suffering from significant
unable to express themselves auditory impairment (WHO). As
through speech. Indian Sign per a survey by National Sample
Language is a big support to Survey Office, there are 291
them. persons per one lakh population
-Prime Minister Narendra Modi who are suffering from severe to
(in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address) profound hearing loss. Of these,
a large percentage is children in
the age group of 0-14 years.
For a very long time, India
has suffered from the absence
of clear gestures and standards
for sign language. Unable to
communicate, this portion of
India’s population not only goes
“If we talk about education
through the feeling of solitude,
in India, the hearing-impaired
seclusion and dissatisfaction
children lacked education
but also misses out on various
opportunities as there was opportunities for growth and
no material available in sign prosperity.
language. Deaf students The Government of India
suffered a lot due to this. But established the Indian Sign
ever since the establishment Language Research and Training
Centre (ISLRTC) in 2015 with the
of ISLRTC, the condition
objective to develop Indian Sign
has changed. We are very
Language (ISL) and promote it
thankful to the Government.”
as a mode of communication
-Manju
in various fields. ISL is a deaf-
Student, ISLRTC
friendly language created using
24
24
