Page 36 - Mann Ki Baat September 2022
P. 36

Inclusion Through ISL Not a Distant

                       Dream, But a Reality



                                           a deaf individual like me who was
                                           once looked down as inferior to a
                                           non-deaf person. I started DEF with
                                           the agenda to open an institute
                                           that can help in training deaf
                                           youngsters to educate themselves,
                                           find good jobs and ensure that they
                                           lead dignified lives independent of
                                           any form of support or sympathy.
                                           Little did I know that this simple
                                           thought would turn out to be a
                T.K.M. Sandeep             mammoth task to achieve.
                                              Traditionally,  our education
          CEO, Deaf EnAbled Foundation
                                           system supported oral forms
                                           of  teaching  and   interpreters
                                           were  scarcely available to  help
                                           deaf students. Moreover, special
            The hearing-impaired people    education institutes were only
        in the country faced a multitude   present in selective metropolitan
        of challenges both physical and    cities. Apart from the infrastructural
        mental in nature including social   issues, a deaf person had to deal
        stigmas and were largely excluded   with social stigmas that viewed
        from the process of nation-        deafness through the coloured
        building. But now this trend has   lens of karma and its other religious
        reversed with both Government      counterparts.  Not only  this, even
        as well as civil society coming up   the parents of many deaf children
        with  innovative and structured    preferred to send their wards to
        solutions for the development      regular non-deaf schools and
        of people with disabilities. With   colleges instead of understanding
        the establishment of the Indian    their  needs. But  the  biggest
        Sign Language Research and         challenge that we also faced was
        Training Centre and various other   that of the communication gap
        organizations like Deaf EnAbled    that was widely existent within the
        Foundation (DEF), the country is   society.
        witnessing the rise of a disabled-    Since the challenges were
        friendly environment.              huge, the efforts must also be of
            Deafness is not a liability. Sign   similar level and that too from
        Language is not just the language   all  quarters.   It  was  important to
        of the deaf. These very words      build an environment that not
        became the founding pillars of     just provides them with equal
        Deaf EnAbled Foundation (DEF), an   opportunities  for  growth  but
        organisation that was founded by   also  includes them  as  proactive
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