With World Sign Language Day observed across the globe on Friday, disability rights activists and members of the Deaf Association in Pune raised concerns that students who are hearing impaired are being denied the opportunity for higher studies as not many universities offer courses in sign language.
The state should start special colleges to provide higher education to the hearing impaired students after class 12, and also make provisions for teaching courses in sign language.
“According to the provisions of the Disability Act, 1995, it has been mentioned that sign language should be included in the curriculum of the deaf and should be compulsorily used for the education of the hard of hearing people. As per the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD-2006), sign language should be considered for the deaf community. In the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, it is stated that disabled persons should be encouraged to use public communication and the teaching-learning materials should be made available to them in sign language. Even in the new education policy 2020, priority has been given to education through the mother tongue. The mother tongue of hard-of-hearing people is sign language,” said Prof Swati Prakash Sadakale-Patole, whose PhD is in teaching techniques for the hearing impaired.
Sign language is used by persons who are hearing impaired or mute and involves the use of hands to make signs, as well as facial and body expressions to communicate. Like any language, sign language too has its own grammar and alphabet.
{{/usCountry}}Sign language is used by persons who are hearing impaired or mute and involves the use of hands to make signs, as well as facial and body expressions to communicate. Like any language, sign language too has its own grammar and alphabet.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian Sign Language Training Center (ISLRTC) was established by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2011. The objective was to develop human resources for teaching, training and research in sign language, as well as promoting its use in education by collaborating and cooperating with universities, in India and abroad.
“With the same objective, we at the Late C. R. Ranganathan College of Arts and Commerce for Deaf, Pune, affiliated to Savitribai Phule University are also striving for the development and enhancement of Sign Language by adopting the Indian Sign language as a compulsory subject at the undergraduate level,” Prof Swati added.
There are 2,228,560 persons with mental and physical disabilities in the state as per the 2011 census. Of them, 472,279 are hearing impaired.
“Language is a very important part of understanding human emotions. The number of deaf people in the country is significant. If their sign language gets the status of a regional language, this language will be popularized among the rest of the society and they too will be able to live with dignity in the society. This minority group cannot progress without the advancement of their language,” said Prof Kedar Mhatre.