Projects : Awareness

Awareness of the Deaf

The Indian Sign Language (ISL) version of Awareness.

NAD works for various sectors. We spread awareness about sign language in NGOs, Govt. Offices, Police Stations and deaf schools with hearing teachers. NAD’s biggest job is to unanimously spread about ISL and make people aware about our language.

We have been doing this from 2005 to 2016 now. Delhi Police invited us to teach ISL with communication is a huge problem of Police Stations if deaf person is there eg if a deaf girl is raped, communication becomes difficult. We taught 1000 police station officials ISL about deafness. Terms like theft, murder, verbal abuse, lies, heartlessness etc. were explained in ISL. Further, high officials from Delhi Police were also made to learn. Nearly 400 of them came and NAD lectured them. They were made aware of sign language and deafness.

Various NGOs have invited us to get awareness about deafness. Deaf Schools in villages running under SSA program invited us too. In Jammu & Kashmir 70 teachers were made basic sign language, albaphets, names, eatable including fruits. They learnt it so that they can teach the deaf children in sign language. Training was given at railway stations 400 coolie were trained for one week. Coolie tend to mock them and not understand them. We explained them about deafness and their culture.

At the time of elections there is a huge communication barrier for deaf and there is no awareness throughout India. The Election Commission invited us to discuss the problems faced by deaf, visually impaired, wheelchair users etc. Wheelchair users required the ramps, visually impaired required braille and deaf needed sign language. For eg sign for “Do you have your ID?, where do I go? with expressions.

This was NAD’s purpose of awareness generation.

History of Activites

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Recommendations for adding ISL to the National Curricular Framework 2023

Please see two documents and do the needful.

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 Deaf association letter to Government for NCF 2023 The letter that Deaf Association has to copy and paste on their letterhead. DOCX / (0.01 MB)
2 Recommendation Letter for NCF 2023 Please attach the Recommendation Letter to your Association's Letter PDF / (0.18 MB)

Location: New Delhi    Activities: Events
NAD Election 2022

Documents

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1 List of Eligable Candidates for Election 2022 List of Eligable Candidates for Election 2022 JPG / (0.29 MB)
2 Withdrawal Form Withdrawal form for the candidates wishing to withdraw from the Election. JPG / (0.13 MB)
An Letter to Shri. Modiji, PM for Including ISL in List of Official Languages of Republic of India

Kindly refer to the video. Please find the attached file of MS Word or PDF. Please copy and paste it on your letterhead addressed to Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India with a request for including Indian Sign Language (ISL) in the list of Official Languages of Republic of India. Please send it by speed post and please include your name, address, mobile no. and email Id at the footer.

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 An Open Letter to the PM (MS Word) An Open Letter to the PM in MS Word Format DOCX / (0.02 MB)
2 An Open Letter to the PM (PDF) An Open Letter to the PM in PDF Format PDF / (0.13 MB)

Location: New Delhi    Activities: Meeting
Census Of India 2021 Recommendations

Hi. I wish to circulate the information regarding the Census of India 2021. Few days back, the Chhattisgarh Association of the Deaf informed me about the letter it received from Government regarding feedback for improvement. I recommended the Association to reply and send the feedback to the Census office with CC to NAD and other NAD-affiliated Associations.

After deciding that NAD will write to the Census office, I am planning to recommend the following points:

1) To include "Indian Sign language (ISL)" as one of the options for the Mother Tongue.
2) To have two sub-categories under “Hearing”
    (a) Deaf
    (b) Hard of Hearing

This is as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2016.

3) The Government to give awareness training for all enumerators of the Census of india 2021.

If you have any better suggestions, please e-mail to nadindia2004@gmail.com upto April 11th, 2021 at 5 pm.

Thank you for watching.

Location: New Delhi    Activities: Events
Remembering Late Shri Javed Abidi (11-06-1965 - 04-03-2018)

One of the world's fiercest, most passionate advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, March 4th, 2018.

Javed Abidi was the Honorary Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment Disabled People; and Global Chair of Disabled People's International. As we struggle to come to terms with the huge loss and void created by his sudden demise, let's also celebrate his life and remember him for the invaluable and unparalleled contribution that touched made to millions and millions of people with disabilities around the country and outside.

The starting days of the formation of Disability Rights Group (DRG).

Mr. AS Narayanan, President (NAD) talked about Javed Abidi’s guidance and how he was such great support to the deaf community, and teaching and leading in the space of advocacy.

There were several video messages played sent by the people who couldn’t be present at the event, among those was one from Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and tribute video by BRUT India on Mr. Javed Abidi life journey.

Above all, let us pledge to carry on his legacy. And that would perhaps be the best tribute we can pay to such an exceptional soul.

Photo Gallery

Location: Indian Women's Press Corps, New Delhi    Activities: Conference
World Health Day 2021 - Inclusion of Sign Language Let’s us Remember to Sign

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) organized the Press Conference for Press/Media Release – Need Emphasis on Sign Language in the World Hearing Report at Indian Women’s press Corps, 5 Windsor place, New Delhi-110001 from 3.30 pm to 4:30 pm on 02nd March 2021. Mr. A. S. Narayanan, President of NAD and Mr. Anuj Jain, Executive Director have explained to 20 media persons related to World Hearing Day – Inclusion of Sign Language. Some of the media persons have questions with NAD Team for answering them.

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international non-governmental organization representing and promoting approximately 70 million deaf people's human rights worldwide. The WFD is a federation of deaf organizations from 122 nations; its mission is to promote the human rights of deaf people and full, quality, and equal access to all spheres of life, including self-determination, sign language. NAD is a member of WFD.

World Hearing Day is celebrated on 3rd March every year. WHD is organised by World Hearing Forum (WHF), a forum under the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The theme for this year is: ‘Hearing care for all! Screen, Rehabilitate, and Communicate’. The World Report on Hearing will be launched on World Hearing Day. The Report has not highlighted sign language.

Following are the recommendations of the World Federation of the Deaf for the inclusion in the Report:

  • Early intervention: Access to sign language at birth is a fundamental human right.
  • Involvement of Deaf People in the policy-making related to the issues of deaf people.
  • Sign languages should be recognized and integrated into all services.
  • All deaf children and their families must have access to sign languages

Please find attached the recommendations, toolkit, and WFD position papers. WHO should emphasize on sign language as mentioned above.

Our further request to the Government of India is to :-

  • Recognize Indian Sign Language as one of the official languages.
  • Indian Sign Language should be included as one of the options of mother tongue in the Population Census 2021 and
  • Rehabilitation and Education of deaf children must n necessarily include Indian Sign Language.

We at NAD been advocating all of the above for a long time. We need the media persons’ support to strengthen our voices. They deputed a reporter/photographer/camera team yesterday and helped this invisible community get the visibility that it deserves and badly needs.

A.S.Narayanan's Message to all: (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQPRSs-YwBI

Video-shoot of the Press Conference: (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5Uf1CYXRQ 

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 ABP News World Hearing Day: World Hearing Day today, NAD writes to PM Modi to promote Sign Language. PDF / (0.12 MB)
2 Amrit India World Hearing Day PDF / (1.13 MB)
3 Gurgaon Today World Hearing Day PDF / (1.19 MB)
4 WFD Letter WFD Advocacy Points for Members and Partners on the occasion of World Hearing Day 2021 and the launch of the World Health Association 2021 Global Report on Hearing. PDF / (0.26 MB)
5 NAD Letter Letter from NAD to Shri. Narendra Modji, PM of India. PDF / (1.07 MB)
6 State Deaf Association State Deaf Association Letter WHD 2021 to CM Minister Health Minister Social Welfare DOCX / (0.02 MB)

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Location: New Delhi, India    Activities: Events
World Disability Day 2019

Ref. No. NAD/WDD-Circular/2019                                                     Date:- 22nd November 2019

INVITATION LETTER

Dear Friends, Members & Non-Members,

Greetings from National Association of the Deaf! We hope this letter finds you in good health with your work progressing well.

N.A.D. is an organisation that is working to empower Deaf and Hard of Hearing people across India; one that is of the deaf, by the deaf and for the deaf. N.A.D. hopes to breathe new life into the deaf movement and empower deaf people across the country to stand up and claim the rights that they are entitled to. N.A.D. is a non- governmental, not for profit, organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, no. s/50137/2004. It is a voluntary organisation and all the work that it carries out it down to the dedication and hard work of its members and the executive board. N.A.D relies on the support it receives not only from its members, but also society at large.

We are very glad to inform you that we are organising the World Disability Day at India Gate, Amar Jyoti Jawan, New Delhi on 3rd December 2019, Tuesday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

  1. Indian Sign Language (ISL) to be added the amendment in the Constitution of India
  2. Education for Persons with Disabilities
  3. Census of India 2021

Also, we with NCPEDP are organizing “Walk to Freedom”, celebrating Inclusion on World Disability Day at India Gate, New Delhi on 3rd December, 2018. The general theme will be the celebration on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities but the collaterals can also be designed keeping in mind the above 3 sub-themes.

We wish to invite all you, any deaf members, any deaf leaders & deaf senior members from each of your deaf associations, deaf clubs, deaf sports, deaf women associations, deaf organisations & deaf institutions to attend the World Disability Day on 3rd December 2019, Tuesday at India Gate, New Delhi from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Thanking you!

 

Yours Sincerely,

Anuj Jain

Executive Director

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 Invitation Letter from NAD Invitation Letter from NAD in PDF format PDF / (0.69 MB)
Demand to include Indian Sign Language (ISL) in the English Schedule of the Indian Constitution

Kindly refer to the video and send your letter to Shri Amit Shah, Hon'ble Home Minister regarding the demand to include Indian Sign Language (ISL) in the English Schedule of the Indian Constitution - Table the Amendment in the Winter Session of the Parliament. Please see the attached file.

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 Letter format for Shri Amit Shah, Home Minister Send Letter to Shri Amit Shah, Home Minister GOI DOCX / (0.01 MB)
2 The Copy of the Reply from the Government Department of Official Language Letter PDF / (0.65 MB)
3 Proposed Amendments in the Constitution for ISL Rights to Indian Sign Language to be added as an amendment in the constitution of India PDF / (0.07 MB)

Location: Taj Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi    Activities: Conference
Global Appeal 2018

To End Stigma & Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy

Organized and Endorsed by: The Nippon Foundation (TNF) & Disabled People International (DPI)

The stage was set! People from around 10 countries are gathered in Delhi for the launch of the Global Appeal 2018 to End Stigma & Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy at Taj Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi on 30th January 2018.

Image: Photo of the stage. Backdrop has logos of The Nippon Foundation and DPI. Says Global Appeal 2018 to End Stigma and Discrimination Against People Affected by Leprosy. Organized and Endorsed by The Nippon Foundation and DPI.

Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of National Association of the Deaf, Mr. Shivoy Sharma (Interpreter of NAD), Mr. Michael Singha, Mr. Sachin Singh, Instructor of Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre, & Ms. Manisha Sharma (Student of Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre) participated.

Choir comprising of children from Tahirpur Leprosy Complex, Delhi performing the welcome song at the launch of the Global Appeal to End Stigma and Discrimation Against Persons Affeced by Leprosy.

“Happy to be back in India to launch the Global Appeal to End Stigma and Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy. Both DPI & @NipponZaidan are collaborating to give a voice to this cause”, said by Yohei Sasakawa, Chair of Nippon Foundation.

“The Global Appeal is a movement and DPI is proud and honoured to be part of this. All DPI Global Directors from across the world are here to express solidarity”, said by Javed Abidi, Global Chair, DPI. 

“I agree with the statement that we need to change the mind set. I am happy that I am a part of this great privilege and I am thankful to The Nippon Foundation”, said by Mr. Dinesh Trivedi.

“The issue with leprosy is not disease management but rather ending the stigma and discrimination. Each of us wants to be free and equal”, said by Kate Gilmore. 

“The Global Appeal is the growing energy between public health and human rights .We need to make sure that no person or community is left behind”, said by Dr Pem Namgyal. 

Global leaders from around the world endorse the Global Appeal to End Stigma and Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy. "Nothing about us without us" 
is the guiding principle of our activities to realize an inclusive society.

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Location: Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, New Delhi    Activities: Events
World Disability Day 2017

Twelve thousands deaf people and disabled people gathered at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, New Delhi  earlier today on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities that is celebrated every year on 3rd December. Organized by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in partnership with American India Foundation (AIF) and ONGC the event saw participation of not only persons with disabilities but their deaf people, families, Deaf Associations, Deaf Institutions, and many others.

Welcome Remarks: Javed Abidi, Honorary Director, NCPEDP; Manish Kumar, Program Manager, American India Foundation; A.S. Narayanan, President, National Association of the Deaf; and Zorin Singha, Secretary, National Association of the Deaf - with Zorin SinghaJaved AbidiAmerican India Foundation and National Association of the Deaf, India in New Delhi, India.

This year the celebration was not only limited to the occasion of the World Disability Day but also for Anniversary of the Passage of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. 21 Types of Disabilities mentioned in the RPWD Act 2016 celebrating together. We demanded Govt. for the “National Sign Language Day” on September 22, as PM approved ISLRTC as an autonomous body on 22nd September 2015.

Also, we with NCPEDP with NAD, were organizing “Walk to Freedom”, celebrating Inclusion on World Disability Day at India Gate, New Delhi on 3rd December, 2017! The general theme was the celebration on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities but the collaterals can also be designed keeping in mind the above 3 sub-themes.

Photo Gallery

Location: New Delhi    Activities:
Walk To Freedom

Dear Friends, Members & Non-Members,

Greetings from National Association of the Deaf! We hope this letter finds you in good health with your work progressing well.

N.A.D. is an organisation that is working to empower Deaf and Hard of Hearing people across India; one that is of the deaf, by the deaf and for the deaf. N.A.D. hopes to breathe new life into the deaf movement and empower deaf people across the country to stand up and claim the rights that they are entitled to. N.A.D. is a non- governmental, not for profit, organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, no. s/50137/2004. It is a voluntary organisation and all the work that it carries out it down to the dedication and hard work of its members and the executive board. N.A.D relies on the support it receives not only from its members, but also society at large.

We are very glad to inform you that we are organising the World Disability Day at India Gate, Amar Jyoti Jawan, New Delhi on 3rd December, 2017 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

  1. 1st Anniversary of the Passage of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016
  2. 21 Types of Disabilities mentioned in the RPWD Act 2016 celebrating together.
  3. Demand for the “National Sign Language Day” on September 22, as PM approved ISLRTC as an autonomous body on 22nd September 2015.

Also, we with NCPEDP are organizing “Walk to Freedom”, celebrating Inclusion on World Disability Day at India Gate, New Delhi on 3rd December, 2017! The general theme will be the celebration on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities but the collaterals can also be designed keeping in mind the above 3 sub-themes.

We wish to invite all you, any deaf leaders & deaf senior members from each of your deaf associations, deaf clubs, deaf sports, deaf women associations, deaf organisations & deaf institutions to attend the World Disability Day on 3rd December, 2017 at India Gate, New Delhi from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Thanking you!

Yours Sincerely,
S/d
A. S. Narayanan
President.

Walk to Freedom, NAD, NCPEDP

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 Invitation Letter for WDD on 3rd December, 2017 Invitation letter for friends, members & non-menbers from A.S.Narayanan, President of NAD PDF / (0.63 MB)

Location: Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, 1 Circular Road, Teen Murti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi    Activities: Events
Conference on the International Week of the Deaf 2017 “Full Inclusion with Sign Language”

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) organized a conference on "Full Inclusion: With Sign Language" in Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on 21st September 2017 to celebrate the International Week of the Deaf. The conference also saw participation of some key leaders of the international deaf community such as Dr. Adam Kosa, Hon'ble Member of European Parliament; Dr. Gerely Tapolczai, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Hungary; and Dr. Joseph Murray, Vice President, World Federation of the Deaf.

There were 300 deaf delegates from all over India participated in the conference.

International Week of the Deaf is all through this week from September 18 - 24, 2017.

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Location: Amity University, Noida    Activities: Events
National Anthem in Sign Language

National Association of the Deaf Team joined Mrs. Diana Lil Philips (Asst. Professor) from Amity University, Noida addressing the 2000 hearing students on 15th February, 2017 at Amity University, Noida. The response was tremendous and the 2000 hearing students were keen to implement certain changes in their working. They are willing to include Indian Sign Language as part of their training module to enable hearing students to interact with deaf people who approach them. Mrs. Diana Lil Philips (Asst. Professor), Amity University, Noida hopes for active participation from National Association of the Deaf in our student project on Sign Language in formulating this training module.

The program was organized by Amity University, Noida and around 2000 hearing students had attended the event.

Mr. Anuj Jain (Project Director), Mr. Shashi Kant (Supervisor), Ms. Sonia Bhatia (Program Officer), Mrs. Ritu Panda (Volunteer), Mr. Raj Kumar Jain (Volunteer), Mr. Shivoy Sharma (Interpreter) & Ms. Sarah Sharma (Interpreter) of National Association of the Deaf and Ms. Riya Kaur, daughter of deaf parent & student along with 10 students of Amity University, Noida sang the National Anthem in Sign Language on the stage in front of 2000 hearing students.

The National Anthem in Sign Language sent a powerful message on the importance of the promotion of Indian Sign language to Professors, Staff and Students of Amity University, Noida.

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Location: India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi    Activities: Workshop
Disability Inclusion Across 17 Sustainable Development Goals

National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and American India Foundation (AIF) co-organised the Disability Inclution Across 17 Sustainable Development Goals in partnership with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and United Nations India on 9th December, 2016 at Juniper, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi.

Inaugural Session: Setting the Stage:-

  • Javed Abidi, Honorary Director, NCPEDP
  • Nishant Pandey, Country Director, American India Foundation (AIF)
  • Yuri Afansiev, UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative in India
  • Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment

 Taking Stock: Where are we after one year?:-

  • Chair:- Mr. Javed Abidi, Hononary Director, NCPEDP

Panelist:-

  • Ankit Rajiv Jindal, Marketing Advisor, NIT DATA Services, Founding Director, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre (DEOC)
  • Deepali Kapoor, Program Head, Pratham
  • Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, National Foundation for India (NFI)

Poverty elimination: How will it happen when 20% of the world’s poorest are people with disabilities and we continue to neglect them?:-

Chair:- Mr. Amarjeet Sinha, Secretary, Department of Rural Development (DRD), Ministry of Rural Development

Panelist:-

  • Praveen Kumar G., Head of Programmes, VSO India Trust
  • Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director, ActionAid (India)
  • Madhu Khatri, Associate General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd.
  • Rajiv Khandelwal, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Aajeevika Bureau

Inclusion of disability in the national development agenda: The way Forward:-

            Chair:- Mr. N. S. Kang, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), MSJE

Panelist:-

  • Rema Nagarajan, Senior Assistant Editor, Times of India
  • Manas Satpathy, Executive Director, PRADAN
  • Nandita Bhan, Research Scientist & Adjunet Assistant Professor, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
  • Arjun Sanyal, Director, Education (Learning and Migration Program), American India Foundation

Goal 1 of the SDGs is – End Poverty in all its forms everywhere. Goal 3 which focuses on health and well being is - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. There is such an intrinsic relationship between poverty, health and disability that it is blasphemous to note that disability has not been mentioned in not only these two goals but also their targets and indicators. Here’s how they are related:

Poverty and Disability – 800 million of the world's 1 billion people with disabilities live in the countries of the Global South. People with disabilities also comprise 20 percent of the world's poorest. People with disabilities not only are more vulnerable to poverty but their poverty is compounded by other inequalities. For instance, a person with disability has far lesser chances of education and thus lesser chances of employment.

Health and Disability - People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to deficiencies in health care services. They may experience greater vulnerability to secondary conditions, co-morbid conditions, and age-related conditions often engaging in health risk behaviors. It is therefore imperative that when one talks of healthcare, it must include all assistive devices and technologies that are essential for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their daily lives.

We are beginning a dialogue with relevant stakeholders to ensure disability is not left out of the global agenda again.

NITI Ayog has been entrusted with the role of coordinating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Their task is not to merely collect data on SDGs but to act proactively to fructify the goals and targets not only quantitatively but also while maintaining high standards of quality.

NITI Ayog will create a vision document for about 15 years i.e. upto 2030. It is now up to us to ensure that disability is not left out of this very important document. Have you read through the SDGs? Do you have any specific recommendations for NITI Ayog?

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Location: India Gate, New Delhi    Activities: Events
World Disability Day 2016

Celebration, colors and commemoration - This is a summary of what Saturday morning looked like at India Gate in New Delhi.

6000 deaf people along with disabled people gathered at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, New Delhi on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities that is celebrated every year on 3rd December, 2016.

Organized by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in partnership with American India Foundation (AIF), the event saw participation of not only persons with disabilities but their friends, families, National Association of the Deaf, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOs), Corporates and many others.

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Location: Delhi Police    Activities: Workshop
Sign Language Training Program for Deaf

Sign Language Program for Delhi Police Station Police Lines, Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi on 23rd November, 2016 National Association of the Deaf Team joined the Delhi Police Station in addressing Delhi Police personnel on the 23rd November, 2016 at Delhi Police Station at Police Lines, Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi. The response was tremendous and the Delhi police is keen to implement certain changes in their working. They are willing to include Indian Sign Language as part of their training module to enable police personnel to interact with deaf and mute people who approach them. Police Official from Delhi Police Station hope for active participation from National Association of The Deaf in our student project on Sign Language in formulating this training module. Delhi Police is also preparing a list of official interpreters with their contact details to be handed to the Commissioner, Delhi Police that could be circulated to all the police stations for ready reference. Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of National Association of the Deaf talked about the problems deaf individuals face while dealing with police personnel & the issues related to effective handling of cases of violence against deaf persons while presenting at an Orientation session on “The Need for the Police Redressal of Grievances of Deaf and the Use of Sign Language”. The program was organized by Delhi Police and attended by around 1100 Police Personnel and ACP, DCP had attended the event.

Mr. Anuj Jain (Joint Secretary), Ms. Sonia Bhatia (Program Officer), Ms. Surbhi Taneja (Interpreter) of National Association of the Deaf showed our skits about robbery and rape. The skit was performed in a contrasting manner where one was acted out without the assistance on a sign language interpreter and the second scenario was with an interpreter. The contrast was visible to all the cadets. The confusion, misunderstandings that existed in the first scenario due to communication gap between the police officer and victim and that gap was solved through the presence of a sign language interpreter in the second scenario. This skit sent a powerful message on the importance of promotion of Indian Sign language.

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Location: India Gate, New Delhi    Activities:
World Disabled Day 2016 at India Gate, New Delhi

Dear Friends,

Greetings from National Association of the Deaf!

1. Established in 1996, NCPEDP completed its twentieth anniversary this year.

2. 3rd December 2016 will mark the first anniversary of the launch of Hon’ble Prime Minister's flagship ‘Accessible India Campaign’ or ‘Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan’ which has brought the issue of accessibility outside of the disability discourse into the public realm.

3. 2016 also celebrates the first anniversary of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Agenda, providing for a disability inclusive development agenda for the first time.

4. Last but not the least, the most important celebration reverberating across the United Nations and disability organisations worldwide is the celebration of the 10 years of the UNCRPD - the first human rights convention concerning persons with disabilities.

As you can see, we have much to celebrate and our celebrations are, therefore, going to be bigger and better than ever before! At the same time, the celebrations are also a means to come together, to debate and discuss our achievements and the way ahead. They provide a platform to engage other stakeholders, to share issues effecting people with disabilities and work together to find and implement solutions to calibrate the way forward in a manner that ensures inclusion of people with disabilities in all future developments and policies adopted across Governments and the private sector. Therefore, you can even use this opportunity to make your demands but in a mild and toned down manner!

Also, NCPEDP with us organise the 'Walk to Freedom' at India Gate, New Delhi on 3rd December, 2016!. The general theme will be the celebration on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities but the collaterals can also be designed keeping in mind the above 4 sub-themes. Apart from this, we will also demand for the passage of the RPWD Bill 2014 and Driving License for the Deaf.

Documents

Download Sr. Topic Description File Type / Size
1 World Disability Day - Invitation Letter The letter from General Secretary of NAD that explains about the World Disability Day on 3rd December, 2016, 9am to 4pm at India Gate. PDF / (0.34 MB)

Location: Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, New Delhi    Activities: Events
59th International Week of the Deaf

We organised the 59th International Week of the Deaf 2016, "With Sign Language, I am equal." at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket New Delhi on 3rd October 2016

We have special Chief Guest as Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey, Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Jagdish Kumar, Senior Consultant, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment, and Mr. Harish Soni, Consultant, Indian Sign Language Training & Research Centre.

NAD Team also performed our best for showing dance, deaf cultural India and sign langauge action.

Videos

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Location: RGNIYD, Regional Centre, Chandigarh     Activities: Announcements Workshop
Workshop on Advocacy Leadership Training for the Deaf

Around 50 deaf delegates from North India attended a three-day workshop. The first day began with the introductory session addressed by Shri Stanzin Dawa, Regional Coordinator, RGNIYD, Regional Centre Chandigarh, which gave the deaf participants a brief outlook of the topic "Leadership & Advocacy" and the role it played in our lives. During the workshop, core aspects of leadership are clearly defined and explained through various team building activities, group discussions, indoor-outdoor exercises by the mentors.

Shri Uday Bhaskar, Trainer from the Deaf Enabled Foundation, Hyderabad (Telangana) shared the detailed information about leadership styles, theories and attributes of successful leaders, levels of maturity, skills & competencies. Examples of key lessons learnt from famous historical figure like Mahatma Gandhi who was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India.

Importance of water conservation has been addressed by Dr. Jigmet Yangchan, Junior Scientist, HMAARI from Ladakh, to protect the water environment and to meet current and future human demand. The goals of water conservation efforts include:-
1. Ensuring availability of water for future generations.
2. Energy conservation
3. Water saving technology for the home chores.

The team members of RGNIYD conducted a different sessions on Johari Window which is a technique used to help people better understand their relationship with themselves as well as others. During the exercise, subjects are given a list of a few adjectives out of which they need to pick some that they feel describe their own personality. The eight-step process on grassroots advocacy was also discussed to develop a strategy to advocate for a change. An Interpreter bridged the communication gap between deaf participants and facilitators through Sign Language. 

Participants were also made familiar with the various tools and the power point presentation which will be used for deaf empowerment in community. The focus was on the topic of "SWOT" (Strength, weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and group discussions. The workshop concluded with the aim of sharing the knowledge with others to increase the team building qualities in deaf community. Certificate of Participation (COP) along with group photograph has been distributed to all the participants. Addressing the participants, Shri Stanzin Dawa of the RGNIYD said, "Your circumstances should not define your limitations; rather they should help you to redefine your potential and the power within you to make things possible."

Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Regional Centre, Chandigarh in collaboration with National Association of the Deaf (NAD).

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Location: Chandigarh Club Ltd., Sector-1, Chandigarh     Activities: Conference
International Women’s Day

March 8th marks the International women’s Day, which Celebrates the achievement of women in all spheres of life. On this occasion National Association of the Deaf is joining Hearing Impaired women from all over the Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to Commemorate this day. A lot of efforts and progress have been registered at the National Associational of the Deaf towards achieving Evaluate Empowering deaf women and elevating them socially and culturally. Furthermore, National Associational of the Deaf on the Status of empowering deaf women currently holding its session at Chandigarh Club Ltd., Sector-1, Chandigarh.

National Association of the Deaf organized the International Women’s Day at the Auditorium of Chandigarh Club Ltd., Sector-1, Chandigarh on Saturday, 12th March 2016. This is a step taken for raising awareness and creating a positive space in society for disability and women’s issues. The deaf women are doubly disadvantaged first by disability and second with the added vulnerability of their gender. We saw a gathering of around 150 deaf women. We invited the Deaf Women Lecturer Smt. Geeta Sharma, Women Secretary, National Association of the Deaf, Chief Guest of Honour Shri Sanjay Tandon, President of Bharatiya Janta Party Chandigarh, Guest of Honour Shri Sanjay Arora, Chief Manager of GAIL, Chandigarh ,

The seminar started with the welcome note.Mrs.Rupinder Kaur and Anu Saigal, NAD’s Deaf Women Committees, Chandigarh.

Presented by Ms. Akanksha Sharma, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Regional Centre, Sector- 12, Chandigarh. Mrs. Geeta Sharma, Woman Secretary of NAD explained about the Histories of International Week of the Deaf. The Seminar was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Shri Sanjay Tondon (BJP) and Shri Sanjay Arora, Chief Manager, GAIL (Chandigarh). They said it is our duty to bring this injustice to an end as deaf women after faces double discrimination in social life. Shri Sanjay Tondon congratulated Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Public Relation Officer (NAD) for his achievements and praises him by saying that he never missed an opportunity to meet and greet higher officials. He added that the problem is very big for the deaf women to communicate with normal ones. They congratulated all the deaf women on this International Women’s Day.

Presentation by Shri Sanjeev Gulati, Project Advisor of Social Welfare, Chandigarh on ‘Emotional Intelligence’ where the ability to understand others and act wisely in human relations was discussed along with the functioning of our brain, that during a situation that triggers us, it tends to leave us with less space to think and act wisely. 

Presented by Mr. Vivek Mehta, Chief Technical Officer, deafeasy on “Explained about Digital Technology & Products for the Smart Deaf.”

These two topics had never been discussed before on the event of International Women’s Day. It was a refreshing and an eye opener to all the participants. We concluded the seminar by cutting the cake and celebrating the day.

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Location: Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road,New Delhi     Activities: Workshop
International Women’s Day

An event on “Women empowerment day” was held at Indian Social Institute organised by National Association of the Deaf (NAD) on 8th March, 2016. Among the participants were 125 deaf women members/non-members and husbands of the married deaf women. The event was chaired by Women Secretary, Mrs. Geeta Sharma, National Association of the Deaf (NAD) followed by three sessions which included:-

  1. “Women Empowerment in India” by Ms. Sangeeta Singh, Ph.D Scholar, Delhi University Women Empowerment in India

The issues addressed during the session included:-

  • Meaning of women empowerment
  • Obstacles in empowering women in India
  • Gender inequalities across the world
  • Ways to empower women. The primary focus was to acquaint with the various hindrances that restrict the social and economic growth of women in Indian context. Focusing on the gender gap in literacy, emphasis was given on the causes that impede the education of a girl child. A short movie, “Nischay” was presented to highlight the ways by which women are abused in their day to day life. The later part of the movie illustrated need of the hour to raise their voice against violence. The speaker also put forward the various facts about the gender inequalities prevailing in the society globally. The key points were discussed on “How can we empower ourselves?” which included educational, social, psychological and health related aspects for the better development of a woman in the society. It was added by presenting stories about the true spirit of Indian women who achieved their goals irrespective of their socioeconomic and disability status and set themselves as role models in today’s society. The session was concluded by what a great personality, Swami Vivekanand said, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved, It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing.” 
  1. “Knowledge of Deaf Women” by Ms. Priya Reddy & Ms. Harpriti Reddy, Coordinator, The Deaf Way Foundation.

The participants were taken to Crafts Museum, New Delhi after the sessions were over. The purpose was fun for them to enjoy with each others at Crafts Museum, New Delhi.

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Location: India International Centre, Max Muellar Marg, New Delhi     Activities: Events
10th Anniversary Celebration of the National Association of the Deaf

We successfully organised the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the National Association of the Deaf on 21st February, 2016 at India Interantional Centre, Max Muellar Marg, New Delhi. We had invited Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment as a Chief Guest but he was unable to attend the event due to Haryana Jat Riot. Shri Jagdish Kumar, Deputy Secretary of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India was the Chief Guest. Shri A. S. Narayanan, Secretary, NAD addressed the welcome note. Shri Zorin Singha, President, NAD addressed the speech.

Among the Deaf there are several individuals who have extraordinary achievements to their credit. National Association of the Deaf loves to encourage and appreciate such Deaf achievers by giving them Achievers Deaf Awards. These achievers are a great source of inspiration to the members of the Deaf community. In addition to providing role models to the Deaf community, the Achiever Deaf Awards also serve the purpose of giving joy to the parents of the Deaf Achiever, along with a sense of importance to the individual. It is also a means for the Deaf community to show the rest of society that Deaf persons are capable of the great achievements and that they too can be counted to be as equal to all other citizens.

Shri Jagdish Kumar, Deputy Secretary of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India gave out the Deaf Achiever Awards to Shri T. K. M. Sandeep, CEO, Deaf Enabled Foundation, Shri Aqil Chinoy, Founder & CEO of Inspiralive and Shri K. C. Isaac, Founder & President, Kerala Association of the Deaf.

Shri T. K. M. Sandeep signed about his work and organisation to the audience.

Translation of News Report

Deaf-Dumb Conference Demands Official Status (Position) for Indian Sign Language

Monday February 22nd, 2016 Malayala Manorama (All Editions in Kerala, and Dubai etc.)

New Delhi,

The experst commission which constitutes the reformed Indian Sign Language should give Official Languges Position in India to Sign Languageas it was demanded in the deaf dumb national conference held at New Delhi on 21st to 22nd February, 2016. This conference was organized by National Association of the Deaf which is in the National Organisation for the Deaf.

It was decided by the central govt. last year that a research and training centre for Indian Sign Language should be established and to expand a common Indian Sign Language in India acceptable in all states.

In the Conference, Shri Jagdish Kumar, Deputy Secretary of Disabled Dept. declared that the centre will start functioning by July 2016. It is aiming at job traiing, language study, technical education to the deaf and dumb community which is 50 lakh or more number in India and proper steps will be taken for its study and research.

NAD has given to awards to K. C. Issac, President of Kerala Association Federation of the Deaf (Kottayam, Kerala), Aqil Chinoy (Mumbai) & T. K. M. Sandeep (Hyderabad) who have organized self employment projects and educational and employment cum training centres in their status.

It is to be noted that the function was organized in a quite different way than such other programmes in the capital. The speeches were short but meaningful in sign language without making hand applauses in sound, the deaf audience waved their hands in atmosphere to congratule the speakers.

The meeting started at correct time and ended 12 seconds before the deadline time. And at the end, there was attractive “National Anthem” in sign language and it was another better display for National Patriotism.

Photo:- K. C. Issac (KAFD) President receives awards of NAD from Jagadish Kumar, Deputy Secretary, Disabled Dept., Central Govt. NAD President Zorin Singha and General Secretary A. S. Narayanan are nearby.

Photo Gallery

Location: Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi    Activities: Conference Events
6th National Deaf Conference 2016

We successfully for the 6th National Deaf Conference 2016 being held at Indian Social Institute, New Delhi between 20th to 21st February, 2016. We have many deaf lecturers signing to the 200 deaf delegates from all over the country participating in the 6th National Deaf Conference 2016. The conference started with the welcome note by Mr. A. S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD.

  1. Mr. Alok Kejriwal, Managing Director, Archana Ampoules Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, “Deaf can do.”
  2. Mr. T. K. M. Sandeep, CEO, & Mr. Hari Hara Kumar, Director Education, Deaf Enabled Foundation, “Technology on Education for the Deaf”.
  3. Mr. Vivek Mehta, Chief Technical Officer, Mr. Charu Dutta & Mr. Gagan Arora, deafeasy, “Technology & Accessibility”
  4. Mr. Sharique Khan, Ms. Deepna Sonani& Mr. Adnan Khan, Qugo, “Chat with Animations”.
  5. Ms. Shilpi Kedia, Managing Director, BarrierBreak Technologies, Mumbai.
  6. Mrs. Preeti Saini, General Secretary, Association of Sign Language Interpreters, “ISL interpreter for Deaf Community in India”.
  7. Mr. Gyanendra Purohit, Founder, Anand Deaf School, “ISL Bill and Including Recognition Official Language”.
  8. Mr. Aqil Chinoy, Founder & CEO, Inspiralive, “Technology for the Deaf”.
  9. Mr. Rajesh Ketkar, Assistant Director, Ishara Foundation, “Accessibility on Video”.
  10. Mr. Sunil Sahasrabudhe, ISL Teacher for NIHH & Mr. Mohd.Shafique, ISL Teacher for NIHH. 11. Mr. Sachin Singh, Teacher, DSMNRU, “Technology & Accessibility”.
  11. Mr. K. C. Isaac, Founder & President, Kerala Association of the Deaf, “History of Deaf People” in India.
  12. Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary, NAD, & Mr. Zorin Singha, President, NAD, “RPWD Bill, ISLRTC & Driving License for the Deaf”.

Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD The programs were a great success and a great source of encouragement and inspiration to all our 200 deaf  delegates from Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Kerala, Chennai, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh,  and other parts of India participated in the Conference. It has benefited a lot for deaf delegates learning about 13 deaf lecturers’s presentations. They are very impressed by our Conference.

Videos

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Location: Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Regional Centre, Sector- 12, Chandigarh    Activities: Workshop
Workshop on the Advocacy Leadership Training for the Deaf

National Association of the Deaf organised the Workshop on the Advocacy Leadership Training for the Deaf at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Regional Centre, Sector-12, Chandigarh on 23rd January, 2016.

The function started with the welcome note by Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Public Relation Officer of NAD. Chief Guest of Shri Vijay Kumar Dev, Advisor to the Administrator Chandigarh has spoken about the works of NAD and said  he will provide government jobs to deaf people, he said them that they would give their letters to him and he will solve their problems. He said Yogesh Kumar always contacts with me.

Guest of Honour Shri Phool Chand Yadav, Commissioner for Disabilities, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of Haryana, spoke to the deaf delegates that they don’t think they are disabled people; when he was small child & he did not think that he was disabled person. He also said, “I don’t think that I am disabled person but now I am a commissioner for disabilities.”

Guest of Honour Shri Nitin Rokade, Chief HR Manager, Indian Oil Company Limited, Chandigarh spoke to the deaf delegates that they have problems to share with him and he would solve your problems.

Shri A. S. Narayanan, Secretary of National Association of the Deaf explained to them how victory NAD got the ISLRTC as an autonomous body by PM’s approval on 22nd September 2015 during the International Week of the Deaf.

Mrs. Geeta Sharma, Women Secretary of NAD and Mr. Vishal Arora, Treasurer of NAD shared explaining the importance of advocacy for Govt. for demanding the human rights in areas of lives of deaf people.

Mr. Vivek Mehta, Chief Technology Officer, deafeasy explained to deaf delegates regarding the importance of technology for the deaf people through the alarm device help deaf people for vibrant waking up themselves easily.

There were about 85 deaf delegates participated in the Workshop from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh.

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Location: India Gate, New Delhi     Activities: Dharna Events
World Disabled Day 2015

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) & National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) shared organizing the World Disability Day 2015 successfully, we had a symbolic WALK to Freedom at the lawns of Boat Club next to Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, Delhi on 3rd December, 2015. 

A symbolic Walk to Freedom with over 7500 deaf people and disabled people from all over India was held on 3rd December 2015 at India Gate, New Delhi to commemorate both the occasion of World Disability Day and 20 years of the passage of the Act. The participants included people with disabilities, their friends, families, and supporters. The walk also saw Parliamentarians and other dignitaries come out to show their support towards disability. 

All events and initiatives under the Campaign aimed to not just ensure that the disability movement in India achieves the maximum exposure possible (and that too at an opportune time, with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 currently pending in the Parliament), they also attempted to spread awareness about the agendas and imperatives to the farthest reaches of the country. 

Mr. A. S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD, Mr. Zorin Singha, President of NAD, Mr. Dhananjay Bansal, General Secretary of Silent Sports Promotion Society, Smt. Uma Kapoor, General Secretary of All India Foundation of Deaf Women, Mr. Somesh Sharma, Advisor of All India Sports Council of the Deaf, Lalit Kumar, Executive Member of Delhi Associaiton of the Deaf, Dr. Madan Vasishta, PhD., Former Professor of Gallaudet University, Mr. Sibaji Panda, Vice President of All India Federation of the Deaf & Mr. Vivek Mehta, Chief Technology Officer shared speaking related to an Official Language as recognition of Indian Sign Language in the Constitute, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the celebration of 20 years for the Persons with Disablitied Act 1995. 

Mr. Zorin Singha, President of NAD, Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD, Mr. Javed Abidi, Honorary Director of NCPEDP, the officials of America India Foundation, the officials of Hans Foundation and Shri Mahesh Giri, Hon’ble Member of Parliament shared the showcases on the stage behind India Gate. They flagged off 500 balloons to the High Sky Up. Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD taught the Basic Sign Language Class to the large audience. The Deaf Members of National Association of the Deaf performed the drama related to “United we stand, divided we fall”.

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Location: The American Diner, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi     Activities: Meeting
NAD Team met Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt

Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD got the message from Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt yesterday evening. He could not believe how Mahesh Bhatt got to know his mobile number. Finally Mr. Anuj Jain sent a reply to him that he and his team will meet him. He (Joint Secretary of NAD), his wife Reena Jain, his daughter Ananta Jain, Mr. Zorin Singha (President of NAD) and her daughter Interpreter Asha Singha met Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt at India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road in the morning. They discussed on how he made special film for the deaf.

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Location: Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, New Delhi    Activities: Events
58th International Week of The Deaf Celebration 2015 “With Sign Language Rights Our Children Can!”

We organized the 58th International Week of the Deaf “With Sign Language Rights Our Children Can!” between 26th to 27th September, 2015 at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, and New Delhi. We are happy to share the work the done by the National Association of the Deaf. It was the great experienced to done such a nice event at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, New Delhi. Our mission was to promote the Human Rights of Deaf people and also promote the Indian Sign Language so that ordinary people can also communicate with the deaf people. We, 15 deaf staff and volunteers have given the Literatures of Deaf Culture and the brochures of IWD 2015 to the hearing people. We were getting a good response from the people came over there. They appreciated our team work a lot. They also showed their interest to be a part of our organization. We spread awareness about the Indian Sign Language and Human Rights of Deaf People so that the ordinary people can also help them in different manner. Through this event ordinary people came to know how they can communicate with the deaf people. After they talked our 6 Sign Language Interpreter they came to know how they communicate with deaf people through sign language. We aware the people about Sign Language through our screen projectors or our interpreters were also there to help the hearing people to communicate with deaf people. 

Most of the people were not aware about the NAD. Though this event people become to know about Deaf People and Indian Sign Language. People showed their interest to learn the Indian Sign Language. They were giving a good response to us. They wanted to join our organization or support us. They also gave donation for this good cause. They praised our organization for doing this Event. We were very thankful to Select Citywalk Mall for supporting our organization and other supporters who helped us a lot.

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Location: India    Activities:
The Week Health Magazine

The Week Health Magazine

India on 30th August 2015

Link:- http://www.theweek.in/health/cover/indias-sign-language-is-crying-for-recognition.html

COVER STORY

Listen...

By Mandira Nayar | August 30, 2015

Millions of hearing-impaired Indians fail to communicate for want of a fully-evolved vocabulary of their own. India's sign language is crying for recognition

  • "The idea of signing to communicate in public was forbidden. If I ever tried to talk to them [parents] outside, they used to hold my hands. I was taught that signing was somehow shameful"- Anuj Jain, who is part of the National Association of the Deaf

A.S. Narayanan has never had a conversation with his family. He spent the first 15 years of his life in silence. Narayanan is like over a million Indians who are defined by their inability to hear. But if you are hearing impaired in India—it is worse than children of a lesser god that all differently-abled are lumped in with—the discrimination is a little more fundamental: it is the denial of a language.

Standing in front of the flea market lane of Janpath at Connaught Place in Delhi, Narayanan, much older now, laughs. “I grew up alone,’’ he says. “At most, they would ask me if I had eaten. Or, if I was okay? I brought myself up.’’ Surabhi, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia, is his translator. Signing came naturally to her. “It was the first language I learnt,’’ she says. “My parents are deaf. I learnt English later.”

It was years later that the idea of conversation, even communication that wasn’t just functional, came into being for Narayanan. He is now the office-bearer of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in India and is off to Chandigarh for the weekend to hold a workshop on training with young students. It has become easier to communicate with cellphones and computers, but the language is still borrowed.

So far, the Indian sign language is still at a nascent stage. “There are millions of words in a language. In India, we only have a few thousands,” says Narayanan. “The language has not even evolved.” The Indian sign language comprises rudimentary signs, mostly instinctive, but it is far from the codified recognised language like the American sign language.

For the past few months, the NAD has been advocating for an autonomous Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre. The idea is to explore, expand and foster the Indian sign language. This centre was allotted in the 11th Five-Year Plan but is yet to see the light of day. The project was moved to the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Eighteen months ago the government chose to move the centre from IGNOU to the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of the Hearing Handicapped. This, as one activist from NAD put it, is like “asking a wolf to raise a lamb’’. The institute believes in an oral approach to deaf education, virtually denying the deaf a chance to build a language that is rooted in their own culture.

The idea that the deaf need a separate language is alien in India. Instead, children are discouraged from signing. Anuj Jain, who is also part of NAD, grew up with his four sisters who were all deaf. His fifth sibling, a sister, is not. “She used to feel left out,’’ he says, laughing. “We would have these conversations and she couldn’t keep up.’’

A bond Beyond words: Anuj Jain with his daughter Ananta | Arvind Jain

Children who are born deaf are still ‘taught’ how to speak. They are given hearing aids to amplify the sound. Geeta Sharma remembers being forced to speak as a child. She spent years being shuttled from school to school. “The approach was oral,’’ she says. “They tried to get me to talk.” Forcing children to talk and hear isn’t unusual. Sharma is in her 40s. But even now, this is standard practice.

The Lady Noyce School is one of the biggest institutions for the hearing impaired in Delhi. There are 600 students who flock into the cramped classrooms to learn. At the centre of the school is a courtyard. This, open-to-the-sky bit of paved brick, is probably the biggest space the children have. Once there was a cricket field, now the social welfare department occupies most of the area. Kids here spend years learning how to read and write. Knowing the sign language is not compulsory for the teachers. It is something that they pick up. The hearing impaired kids, of course, have to learn how to speak.

It is not unusual. Teachers in deaf schools are not trained in the sign language. Nor is it considered essential. There is a brief orientation of a day or so on sign language. For the most part, the idea is to integrate the kids and teach them, but in a language—English or Hindi—that is not their own. Nor are hearing impaired teachers hired to teach. The idea that sign language can exist even in the hearing world does not exist.

The emphasis, for four years, is on preparing the kids to learn how to speak or communicate in the same way as is done in the hearing world. “They want to fit cochlear implants so that we could hear,” says Narayanan. “We are deaf. This is not communication.’’ It is like forcing a left-handed person to write with his right hand. A bit medieval and cruel.

For women, being hearing impaired means literally being invisible. “Girls are often never allowed to leave home,’’ says Sharma. “They have no opportunities and no one to communicate with. Imagine a life where there is no entertainment, no conversation, nothing.”

Hands-on Approach: A class in progress at Lady Noyce school, Delhi | Arvind Jain

Technology has brought in a revolution. The cell-phone and the internet has made the world a smaller place and for the deaf it has brought with it the gift of communication. Text, Facetime, Skype chats, Hike, video chats have made it possible for the sound barrier to be breached. Meeting people who don't know sign language, asking for directions, even talking with each other has become possible. “I remember when I used to get a phone call from a friend,’’ says Anuj. “My sister would pick up the phone and seem to speak for ages. When I would ask what the other person said, she would always give me just the gist. I would think why she would talk for so long when the answer was monosyllabic,’’ he laughs.

Over the years, Ananta, his daughter has become the voice he never had. Jain remembers the time when his parents spent a year trying to clap loudly to get his daughter’s attention. “They were convinced she was deaf,’’ says Jain. “She would never react when they clapped their hands. But when she turned one, she started talking. Then they knew,’’ he laughs. His son, a toddler, is also learning the language.

Raising a voice: A.S. Narayanan with his translator Surabhi | Arvind Jain

Ananta can speak the sign language fluently. It came easily to her. Even now when Jain's sister visits, she is the outsider, for she hasn’t learnt the sign language yet. “She communicates through me,” says Ananta. "She will call and ask me to pass on a message to my father."

The idea of signing to communicate in public was forbidden, says Ananta, translating for her father: “If I ever tried to talk to them [parents] outside, they used to hold my hands. I was taught that signing was somehow shameful.’’ He apparently retorted in sign that they should then ask the people who can hear to never speak.

Sitting in McDonald’s in Janpath, the father-daughter duo is having an animated conversation. Things have changed. In several countries today, the sign language has gained legal recognition, but in India, it is still not recognised as anything but a few gestures for the hearing impaired to communicate.

It isn’t a language. It needs to be. Language is much more than just communication. It is about being heard; about laughter; about the triviality of life; it is about poetry; it is about anger; fear; joy; disappointment and the shades in between. Even blue has more colour in other languages. Growing up as a hearing impaired person in India, where 18 million people are still waiting to talk, it is more than just about being mute, it is being deprived of expression—forever.

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Location: Rajindra Place, New Delhi    Activities: Workshop
Sign Language Program for Delhi Police Station

National Association of the Deaf Team joined the students from Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC), University of Delhi in addressing Delhi Police Officers on 30th July, 2015 at Police Station, Rajindra Place, New Delhi. The response was tremendous and the Delhi police are keen to implement certain changes in their working. They are willing to include Indian Sign Language as part of their training module to enable police personnel to interact with deaf and mute people who approach them. Mrs. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Programme Coordinator, CIC University of Delhi hope for active participation from National Association of the Deaf in our student project on Sign Language in formulating this training module. CIC is also preparing a list of official interpreters with their contact details to be handed to the Commissioner, Delhi Police that could be circulated to all the police stations for ready reference.

The program was organized by Cluster Innovation Centre of the University of Delhi (CIC) and attended by around 100 Police Officers had attended the event.

Mr. Sanjay Taneja, Member of NAD and Ms. Riya Taneja (Interpreter) of NAD taught the Sign Language Class to 100 Police Officers also they performed a skit on common incidents like robbery and rape. The skit was performed in a contrasting manner where one was acted out without the assistance on a sign language interpreter and the second scenario was with an interpreter. The contrast was visible to all the cadets. The confusion, misunderstandings that existed in the first scenario due to communication gap between the police officer and victim and that gap was solved through the presence of a sign language interpreter in the second scenario. This skit sent a powerful message on the importance of promotion of Indian Sign language.

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NAD Team met Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment

Shri Zorin Singha, President, Shri Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of National Associaiton of the Deaf with NAD Members visited the residence of Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment early morning on 6th July, 2015. They spoke to Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot that we, the deaf people in India, needed his help for demanding the ISLRTC as an autonomous body. He said he had already spoken to Dr. Jitendra Singh, PMO regarding ISLRTC. They requested him to encourage Dr. Jitendra to approve the ISLRTC as an autonomous body. He said he would do it surely.

He asked them how to learn the sign language. They taught him the alphabetic and words sign language. He was very inspired to learn it. He spent 45 minutes learning sign language from them. It was a very wonderful experience with Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, being a very kind and understanding person.

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Location: Rajindra Place, New Delhi    Activities: Workshop
Sign Language Program for Delhi Police Station

National Association of the Deaf Team joined the students from Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC), University of Delhi in addressing Delhi Police Officers on 30th April, 2015 at Police Station, Rajindra Place, New Delhi. The response was tremendous and the Delhi police are keen to implement certain changes in their working. They are willing to include Indian Sign Language as part of their training module to enable police personnel to interact with deaf and mute people who approach them. Mrs. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Programme Coordinator, CIC University of Delhi hope for active participation from National Association of the Deaf in our student project on Sign Language in formulating this training module. CIC is also preparing a list of official interpreters with their contact details to be handed to the Commissioner, Delhi Police that could be circulated to all the police stations for ready reference.

The program was organized by Cluster Innovation Centre of the University of Delhi (CIC) and attended by around 100 Police Officers had attended the event.

Ms. Sonia Bhatia (Program Officer), Ms. Surbhi Taneja (Interpreter) and Ms. Riya Taneja (Interpreter) of National Association of the Deaf taught the Sign Language Class to 100 Police Officers also they performed a skit on common incidents like robbery and rape. The skit was performed in a contrasting manner where one was acted out without the assistance on a sign language interpreter and the second scenario was with an interpreter. The contrast was visible to all the cadets. The confusion, misunderstandings that existed in the first scenario due to communication gap between the police officer and victim and that gap was solved through the presence of a sign language interpreter in the second scenario. This skit sent a powerful message on the importance of promotion of Indian Sign language.

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Location: Carmel Mount School, Sector 47, Chandigarh    Activities: Workshop
Workshop on the Kids of Deaf Adults Workshop (KODA)

National Association of the Deaf organised the Kids of Deaf Adults Workshop (KODA) on 13th December, 2014 at Auditorium, Carmel Mount School, Sector 47, Chandigarh. Over 15 kids of deaf adults & 65 deaf adults participated in this workshop which was led by Mr. Sanjay Taneja, (President of Noida Deaf Friendship Club) & Ms. Surbhi Taneja, (Sign Language Interpreter).

Both Mr. Sanjay Taneja & Ms. Surbi Taneja took a session with kids of deaf adults (KODA) discussing how the deaf world and hearing world is different and children bridge that gap. Children had their doubts cleared, had some back and forth questions for their parents moderate by Ms. Surbhi Taneja.

This workshop took a more practical approach with a lot of brainstorming which had left a positive impact on our hearing children and we hope that next one would be the same kind and better!

Mayor of Chandigarh, Sh. Harphool Chand Kalyan grace the event as Chief Guest. These Deaf Parents and their children are really inspiration for all of us in the society. With the Disability also, they are working hard in their life, to earn their living and upbringing of their children, said Sh. Kalyan.

Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh is committed to extend full support to the NGO’s and organisations who are working for the development and upliftment of handicaps in the society.

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Location: Village Patparganj, Mayur Vihar Phase-I, Delhi    Activities: Events
NAD Team Organised the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

We, NAD Team organised the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) at Restaurant, Balcony, Tea Stall, Food Stall & Roads near NAD Office, 102, 19-A, Vishal Complex, Village Patparganj, Delhi on 2nd October, 2014. There were including Mr. Anuj Jain (Joint Secretary of NAD), Ms. Sonia Bhatia (Staff of NAD), Mr. Raj Kumar Jain (Staff of NAD), Ms. Harmeet Kaur (Interpreter of NAD), Mr. DeepuBalani (Volunteer of NAD), Mr. Surya Pratap (Volunteer of NAD), Mr. Bharat Sharma (Volunteer of NAD) & Mrs. Deepa (Volunteer of NAD) attending support the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

We followed our Prime Minister of India, Narender Modi launching Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He's so good leader of India. We follow his example.

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Location: Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, New Delhi    Activities: Events
57th International Week of The Deaf Celebration 2014 “Strengthening Human Diversity” - Day 2

We organized the 57th International Week of the Deaf “Strengthening Human Diversity” on 28thSeptember, 2014 at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, and New Delhi. We are happy to share the work the done by the National Association of the Deaf. It was the great experienced to done such a nice event at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, New Delhi. Our mission was to promote the Human Rights of Deaf people and also promote the Indian Sign Language so that ordinary people can also communicate with the deaf people. We, 10 deaf staff and volunteers have given the Literatures of Deaf Culture and the brochures of IWD 2014 to the hearing people. We were getting a good response from the people came over there. They appreciated our team work a lot. They also showed their interest to be a part of our organization. We spread awareness about the Indian Sign Language and Human Rights of Deaf People so that the ordinary people can also help them in different manner. Through this event ordinary people came to know how they can communicate with the deaf people. After they talked our 6 Sign Language Interpreter they came to know how they communicate with deaf people through sign language. We aware the people about Sign Language through our screen projectors or our interpreters were also there to help the hearing people to communicate with deaf people.

Most of the people were not aware about the NAD. Though this event people become to know about Deaf People and Indian Sign Language. People showed their interest to learn the Indian Sign Language. They were giving a good response to us. They wanted to join our organization or support us. They also gave donation for this good cause. They praised our organization for doing this Event. We were very thankful to Select Citywalk Mall for supporting our organization and other supporters who helped us a lot.

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Location: Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, New Delhi    Activities: Events
57th International Week of The Deaf Celebrations 2014 “Strengthening Human Diversity” - Day 1

We organized the 57th International Week of the Deaf "Strengthening Human Diversity" on 27thSeptember, 2014 at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, and New Delhi. We are happy to share the work the done by the National Association of the Deaf. It was the great experienced to done such a nice event at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket, and New Delhi. Our mission was to promote the Human Rights of Deaf people and also promote the Indian Sign Language so that ordinary people can also communicate with the deaf people. We, 10 deaf staff and volunteers have given the Literatures of Deaf Culture and the brochures of IWD 2014 to the hearing people. We were getting a good response from the people came over there. They appreciated our team work a lot. They also showed their interest to be a part of our organization. We spread awareness about the Indian Sign Language and Human Rights of Deaf People so that the ordinary people can also help them in different manner. Through this event ordinary people came to know how they can communicate with the deaf people. After they talked our 6 Sign Language Interpreter they came to know how they communicate with deaf people through sign language. We aware the people about Sign Language through our screen projectors or our interpreters were also there to help the hearing people to communicate with deaf people.

Most of the people were not aware about the NAD. Though this event people become to know about Deaf People and Indian Sign Language. People showed their interest to learn the Indian Sign Language. They were giving a good response to us. They wanted to join our organization or support us. They also gave donation for this good cause. They praised our organization for doing this Event. We were very thankful to Select Citywalk Mall for supporting our organization and other supporters who helped us a lot.

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Location: Auditorium, Fr. Agnel School, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi    Activities: Workshop
57th International Week of The Deaf Celebration 2014 - State Level Workshop

We have also been able to successfully conduct the State Level Workshop on Empowerment of Deaf Youth at Auditorium, Fr. Agnel School, Gautam Nagar, Delhi on 21st September, 2014.

The seminar started with the welcome note by Ms. Nirupama Kaul, Co-Worker of NAD’s North India Deaf Women Committee. Mr. Zorin Singha, President of NAD started the keynote with the deaf young people in the workshop. Mr. Rishikesh Anand, Deaf Youth Team of NAD shared the powerpoint presentation about the reports of NAD’s Activities 2005 to 2014. Mr. Rahul Garg, NAD’s Deaf Youth Team explained the meaning of the Strengthening Human Diversity. Members of Noida Deaf Friendship Club & Delhi Deaf Friendship Club showed their different skits. Ms. Rupmani Chettari, Co-Worker of NAD’s North India Deaf Women Committee shared her powerpoint presentation about International Day of the Deaf. There are about 350 deaf young people from NCR participated in the Workshop. They are very impressed by our workshop.

One of the major goals of NAD is State Level Workshop on Empowerment of Deaf Youth creating awareness about the problems of the Deaf and hard of hearing young persons in India and creating more deaf young leaders to become the NAD Leaders. Toward this end, NAD is working with various Deaf organizations of India such to meet common goals.

NAD is imparting the State Level Workshop on Empowerment of Deaf Youth to empower the deaf young people and enable them to stand up for their rights. This helps the Deaf community to become more participative in social and legal matters that concern them as citizens.

State Level Workshop on Empowerment of Deaf Youth helps the Deaf Young Persons when they have to interact with Deaf Leaders & Govt. Officials and when they need to approach the authorities for needs. It helps remove their fear of authorities and helps them access and utilize their rights to life so they can live fearlessly as citizens.

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Location: Govt. Medical Hospital & College, Saral Building, Sector-32, Chandigarh    Activities: Workshop
57th International Week of the Deaf Celebration 2014

57th International Week of the Deaf Celebration 2014 on 21st September, 2014 i.e. on Sunday was organized at Govt. Medical Hospital & College, Saral Building, Sector-32, Chandigarh. 550 deaf people from different districts of Punjab gathered at Govt. Medical Hospital & College, Chandigarh for the celebration of 57th International Week of the Deaf on Sunday. 2nd Punjab Deaf Conference was also organized by National Association of the Deaf on the topic "Strengthening Human Diversity".

Shri Satya Pal Jain, Ex-Member of Parliament, BJP from Chandigarh was invited as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour Shri Deepak Sharma (Cell BJP, Chandigarh).

The function started with the welcome note by Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Public Relation Officer of NAD. Mr. Vishal Arora, Treasurer of NAD spoke the problems for the deaf in India to deaf audience.

Speaking on the occasion, Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD said there is no college is being set up by the Government. Govt. should help the deaf of Punjab and should provide them jobs for reserved 3% for Disabled including blind, deaf and handicapped people as well.

Ex-Member of Parliament, BJP from Chandigarh, Shri Satpal Jain assured the association for the support and raising their voice in the Govt. for getting full support.

Shri Deepak Sharma from BJP Cell said that it's a unique experience for me to be the part of this event and these people use the language of heart for communication, which is far better than other languages.

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Delegation of NAD Team Meets & Congratulates Shri Rajnath Singh, President BJP

Anuj Jain (Joint Secretary), Sonia Bhatia, Rajesh Khandelwal & PinkeyKhandelwal (Sign Language Interpretation) of National Association of the Deaf (NAD) meets & congratulates BJP President, Rajnath Singh for his victory election for his MP on Saturday morning on 24th May, 2014 to request that the Prime Minister's Swearing In Ceremony on Monday, 26th May 2014 must feature sign language interpretation.

BJP President listens intently as Anuj Jain explains his point regarding the importance of Sign Language for India's 18 million deaf citizens.

A visibly pleased NAD delegation at the end of the meeting. We are told that orders have been issued and 3 Sign Language interpreters are being put on duty for the occasion.

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Location: Commonwealth Youth Program, Asia Centre, Sector 12, Chandigarh    Activities: Workshop
Workshop on the Advocacy Training for the Deaf

We organized the Workshop on the “Advocacy Training for the Deaf” at Commonwealth Youth Program, Asia Centre, Sector 12, Chandigarh on 21st July, 2013. There were about 45 deaf students and 25 deaf members from all over Chandigarh participating in the Workshop.

The workshop started with the welcome note by Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Public Relation Officer of NAD. Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD, and Mrs. Geeta Sharma, Women Secretary of NAD shared their experiences & explained the issues of Government of India, Legal Purpose, Basic UNCRPD and showed the PowerPoint presentation about advocacy to deaf delegates. Mr. Vishal Arora, Treasurer of NAD organised fun games for deaf delegates which led to a good time.

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Location: Jharoda Kalan, Najafgarh, Delhi    Activities: Events
Sign Language Program for Delhi Police Training College

National Association of the Deaf Team joined the students from Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC), University of Delhi in addressing Delhi Police personnel on the 1st of Nov, 2013 at Police Training College at Jharoda Kalan, Najafgarh, Delhi. The response was tremendous and the Delhi police is keen to implement certain changes in their working. They are willing to include Indian Sign Language as part of their training module to enable police personnel to interact with deaf and mute people who approach them. Mrs. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Programme Coordinator, CIC University of Delhi hope for active participation from National Association of The Deaf in our student project on Sign Language in formulating this training module. CIC is also preparing a list of official interpreters with their contact details to be handed to the Commissioner, Delhi Police that could be circulated to all the police stations for ready reference.

Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary of National Association of the Deaf talked about the problems deaf individuals face while dealing with police personnel & the issues related to effective handling of cases of violence against deaf persons while presenting at an Orientation session on “The Need for the Police Redressal of Grievances of Deaf and the Use of Sign Language”. The program was organized by Cluster Innovation Centre of the University of Delhi (CIC) and attended by around 1100 Police Personnel and ACP, DCP had attended the event.

Mr. Anuj Jain (Joint Secretary), Ms. Sonia Bhatia (Program Officer), Ashish Goyal (Co-worker) of National Association of the Deaf showed our skits about robbery and rape. The skit was performed in a contrasting manner where one was acted out without the assistance on a sign language interpreter and the second scenario was with an interpreter. The contrast was visible to all the cadets. The confusion, misunderstandings that existed in the first scenario due to communication gap between the police officer and victim and that gap was solved through the presence of a sign language interpreter in the second scenario. This skit sent a powerful message on the importance of promotion of Indian Sign language.

Location: Wazirabad, Delhi    Activities: Workshop
Sign Language Program for Delhi Police Training School

National Association of the Deaf Team joined the students from Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC), University of Delhi in addressing Delhi Police personnel on the 31st October, 2013 at Police Training School, Wazirabad, Delhi. The response was tremendous and the Delhi police are keen to implement certain changes in their working. They are willing to include Indian Sign Language as part of their training module to enable police personnel to interact with deaf and mute people who approach them. Mrs. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Programme Coordinator, CIC University of Delhi hope for active participation from National Association of the Deaf in our student project on Sign Language in formulating this training module. CIC is also preparing a list of official interpreters with their contact details to be handed to the Commissioner, Delhi Police that could be circulated to all the police stations for ready reference.

The program was organized by Cluster Innovation Centre of the University of Delhi (CIC)and attended by around 400 Police Personnel had attended the event.

Mr. Anuj Jain (Joint Secretary), Ms. Sonia Bhatia (Program Officer), Rahul Garg & Rishikesh Anand (co-workers) of National Association of the Deaf performed a skit on common incidents like robbery and rape. The skit was performed in a contrasting manner where one was acted out without the assistance on a sign language interpreter and the second scenario was with an interpreter. The contrast was visible to all the cadets. The confusion, misunderstandings that existed in the first scenario due to communication gap between the police officer and victim and that gap was solved through the presence of a sign language interpreter in the second scenario. This skit sent a powerful message on the importance of promotion of Indian Sign language.

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Location: Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi    Activities: Events
56th International Week of the Deaf Celebrations 2013  “Equality for Deaf People”

We organised the 56th International Week of the Deaf Celebrations 2013 on ‘Equality for Deaf People’ on 28th September, 2013 at Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi. There were about 165 deaf members from all over NCR participating in the Workshop. We had invited the special lecturers Mr. Sibaji Panda (International Institute for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK) & Ms. Melisa, Lingustic (Jawahar Lal University, New Delhi).

The workshop started with the welcome note by Mr. A. S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD.  Mr. Sibaji Panda took a session on Equality for Deaf People to deaf audience. It was an interactive session taking in participants’ view on equality and to identify what all is needed to achieve equality and explaining how to work on the list to be a citizen at par with others.

Ms. Melisa talked on the deaf issues focusing on the linguistic aspect. A deaf community is also a linguistic minority that uses Sign Language for communication. She shared a brief insight of her research with the school system using Indian Sign Language which was still rare and hard to come across.

This year’s theme focuses on equality for deaf people, amongst deaf people and promoted by deaf people. Equality for Deaf People recognises contributions by deaf people to global prosperity, human rights of all deaf people, and preparation of deaf communities for future challenges.

Equality for Deaf People celebrates the linguistic, artistic, social, political and cultural contributions and accomplishments of deaf people. This theme also focuses on recognition of sign languages and the rights of deaf people around India. Focus on Equality for Deaf People also prepares us to look towards the future with a clear vision with renewed energies for creating positive change in local communities worldwide.

International Week of the Deaf provides an excellent opportunity to share and discuss ways to promote collaboration on equality for deaf people based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

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Location: Bathinda, Punjab    Activities: Workshop
Advocacy Workshop for the Deaf in Bhatinda with SSP and DSP

Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Public Relation Officer, National Association of the Deaf organised the Advocacy Workshop for the Deaf in Bhatinda, Punjab on 30th June, 2013. There were about 55 deaf people who attended the workshop. Mr. Yogesh Kumar and his wife met SSP and PPS from Bhatinda, Punjab on 30th June, 2013. They have opened a way for us to communicate through SMS and E-mail. SSP and PPS can help deaf in any problem Civil & Political Right, Domestic Violence, Rape, Social Security, Property Right, Prevent from Abuse and Torture, Harassment etc. The deaf people can ask their problems to SSP and PPS through SMS mobile number 09815800301 and E-mail:-ssp.btd.police@punjab.gov.in

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Location: New Delhi    Activities: Workshop
4th National Workshop on the Grassroots Deaf Leadership 2013

National Association of the Deaf organised the 4th National Workshop on the Grassroots Deaf Leadership from 5th to 8th January 2013 at Indian Social Institute, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Over 85 participants including deaf students participated in this workshop which was led by Mr. Kevin J. Nolan, (Gallaudet University’s Gerald “Bummy” Burstein Institute, Washington DC, USA).

Mr. Nolan showed a testimonial video of his brother who is deaf and how much he had to struggle to get into the Military and his journey which inspired our participants that nothing is impossible. This workshop opened eyes of our participants in exploring the issues that limit the participation of deaf persons in society and day to day life and how we can combat, fight these issues by dividing the participants into groups. N.A.D. is an advocacy organisation, and took suggestions from the participants which will be helping in their work. Mr. Kevin organised a one on one question-answer round where N.A.D. was supposed to answer questions asked by the participants, any questions regarding their functioning, administration, fund raising, etc. This session led to trust building between the organisation and its members. Throughout the workshop, we had several group works where brainstorming took place on how an advocacy organisation works, what qualities take to be a leader, a loyal follower and how we can create visibility for the deaf community which will lead to the Government allot resources accordingly. 

Dr. Madan Vasishta, Chief Advisor of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (I.S.L.R.T.C.) took a session on Emotional Intelligence explaining how one is supposed to react calmly during intense situations. We even had Smt. Pooja Parvati, Research Coordinator of Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability who provided a basic session on how the Government budget works, how the disability budget is decided and so on. Budget is a new concept which was introduced to the disability community couple of years ago and it is still a new concept for the deaf community. Another session on Right to Information Act 2005 was led by Shri Javed Abidi, Convenor of Disability Rights Group. This session enlightened the participants that they could seek their rightful information from various government agencies and this is a great tool for advocacy organisations to have concrete data and records for their work.

This workshop took a more practical approach with a lot of brainstorming which had left a positive impact on our participants and we hope that next one would be the same kind and better!

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Location: India Gate to Jantar Mantar, New Delhi    Activities: Dharna Events
World Disability Day 2012, Recognise Indian Sign Language as one of the official languages of India

On the occasion of World Disability Day, 3rd December 2012, National Association of the Deaf (NAD) received participation of more than 10,000 deaf persons today. Deaf persons came from 20 different states including Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh. Their demand was to meet the Home Minister to discuss on including Indian Sign Language as one of the official languages of India.

NAD started the solidarity rally at 11.00 a.m. from India Gate and finished at 12.00 p.m. at Jantar Mantar. The formation for the rally was 2 kms long. After sending two letters to the Home Minister and consistently following up with his office for over a month for an appointment, NAD felt a strong need to have a rally and to not move until the Home Minister gives them the time.

After raising our demand repeatedly, NAD were given an appointment with Addl. P.S. to Home Minister at 5.30 p.m. Mr. Zorin Singha, President of NAD and Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD went for the meeting along with the Sign Language interpreter. While they waited in the lobby, the Home Minister came to them and talked to them about their need. Mr. Narayanan explained the need for giving Indian Sign Language the official status. The development of the Deaf community is hinged on Sign Language because their life is entirely based on vision and common language, the culture is also based no visual expression and Sign Language. Home Minister assured them his support and directed his OSD to talk to them in detail. He also mentioned that Indian Sign language falls under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Minister will be directing Mrs. Rushima Goel, JSHR of Languages to look into their matter. NAD has written to her and they look forward to a positive response.

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Location: New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi    Activities: Workshop
CBR Training Program for Porters

Action for Ability Development & Inclusion (AADI), Delhi held a series of trainings for porters (Coolies) at New Delhi, Nizamuddin and Agra Cantt Railway Stations where we were also present from 19th to 24th November, 2012. These training were meant to facilitate porters in assisting persons with varied disabilities. We held 18 such training at different stations side by side. We shared our communication barriers at railway stations especially when all announcements inside the station are auditory. We taught them basic sign language which would make the communication easier with the deaf counterpart. It was an eye opener for us and the porters at how open and willing they were to suggestions and changes and clearing their doubts.

This training was essential because around 1,400 delegates from 75 countries will be travelling from train to Agra, India for the first CBR World Congress in India from 26th to 28th November 2012 which was organised by CBR India Network. The Congress would facilitate and develop/strengthen CBR as a key strategy to reduce poverty and enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families, and ensure that the benefits of the convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities reach majority of the world’s people with disabilities.

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Location: T. T. Stadium, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh    Activities: Events
55th International Week of the Deaf Celebrations 2012, A Friendship Evening

55th International Week of the Deaf was celebrated on 7th October 2012 hosted by Bhopal Deaf Association in association with M.P. Association of the Deaf. There were many programs that were held simultaneously in the capital of M.P. The program was conducted in 2 parts.

The first part was the Deaf Awareness Rally where around 500-600 deaf people participated from all over M.P. The rally began in the morning at 11:00 from Motilal Science College till T.T Nagar Stadium. We created awareness for Sign Language and deaf culture amongst the hearing public. The placards too were very helpful for passing our message and our needs.

The second part of the program was held in T.T Stadium community hall in the form of cultural programs, a friendship evening which included the sharing of the progress in the Deaf community in recent years. It was an auspicious event where both, BDFC and DCF performed dance numbers and plays. This year also saw the birth of a new organisation, "Deaf Can Foundation" which is headed by Mrs. Priti Shah Soni under which things like vocational and educational training takes place. Many other things that were conducted by her were elaborated for the deaf people. The program marked the glorious presence of Mr. Kamlesh Dutta, Head of Indian Oil Corp. who was overwhelmed and wished us best of our future. Mr. Jaichand Singh, Acting Secretary of BDA shared about the progress that their association is making. On this occasion Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary of National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Mr. Saju Stephen, Joint-Secretary, NAD, Mr. Kamlesh Dongre, Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Association of Deaf and Mr. Anoop Chitwadgi, President of Bhopal Deaf Association were present.

Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD said that he has attended several programs but the way this program was conducted was new and different. He also wished his best to the entire community.

Moreover we had an opportunity to meet Mr. Gokarand from Bhilai, Chattisgarh who is deaf and has lost both his hands. He is a marvel and independent. From eating to studying, writing and even sending a SMS or operating a computer, he does it with the help of his legs.

The program was delightfully interpreted by Ms. Khushi Soni, Ms. Mini Chitawadgi, and Ms. Khushi Dongre. We, like every citizen of this country, have our rights and the implementation of the Disability Act will bring equality, independence and rightful participation in all social, economic spheres and improve the quality of living.

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Location: Jantar Mantar to India Gate, New Delhi    Activities: Dharna
Deaf Awareness March ‘Sign Bilingualism is a Human Right’

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is truly a representative organisation of deaf people in India. This includes a strong 4,500 membership across the country. It was formed in December, 2005.

The deaf movement in India is currently in a very nascent state. NAD advocates for the rights of the deaf and liaises with the Government and policy makers.  We are currently hosting State Level Meetings across India to spread awareness among the deaf people on their rights and to also recruit more members.

On the occasion of 55th International Week of the Deaf, National Association of the Deaf organised a ‘Deaf Awareness March’ on ‘Sign Bilingualism is a Human Right’ on 27th September, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. from Jantar Mantar to India Gate through Tolstoy Marg and Kasturba Gandhi Marg. Over 650 deaf persons from Delhi and NCR participated in this march.

We celebrate International Week of the Deaf in the month of September every year through various events. The World Federation of the Deaf announced the International Week of the Deaf to be celebrated from 24 to 30 September 2012. Deaf Associations throughout the world organize events, marches, campaigns and meetings to highlight current topics that they wish to be addressed by local or national authorities. Their aim is to attract the attention of decision makers, general public, and media to the problems and concerns deaf persons face and make them understand that deaf people have human rights too! So the International Week of the Deaf is all about getting together, feeling united and powerful and showing that unity to the rest of the world. This week also increases solidarity among deaf people and their supporters and is used as a way to stimulate greater efforts to promote the rights of deaf people.

This march was covered by Hindustan Times, UNI, Indian Express and even some Mass Communications college students. The march came to a halt at India Gate where everyone gathered around and Mr. Zorin Singha, President of NAD, Mr. A.S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD, Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD and Mr. Vishal Arora, Treasurer of NAD talked on the importance of International Day of the Deaf. Because we have an invisible disability, it becomes all the more reason as to why we need to create awareness and make ourselves visible in the eyes of the society. And, an important need to recognize sign language as an official language of India. Sign language is our mode of communication.

We have over 17 million deaf people in our country. The quality of education that is provided in deaf schools is poor because the society has a hard time understanding the culture and linguistic needs of the Deaf community. Our teachers need to be equipped and trained in Sign Language before teaching a class of deaf children. Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre should train the teachers in Sign Language and Deaf culture so that education can be imparted in the best way possible.

Sign bilingualism is based on the idea that, as deaf children can potentially easily acquire sign language and may have difficulty in accessing spoken language, they should be given the opportunity to develop sign language. This gives them a foundation of having a full command of one language. This foundation helps learn another language better. Within different educational settings the relative use of the two languages (sign and spoken/written language) may differ, but an essential feature is that the each language is recognized as distinct and used differently. While working towards the same goals as spoken language based approaches, sign bilingualism recognizes the need for a different classroom practice, using different means to achieve the same ends. It also recognizes the Deaf community, that group of Deaf people who see themselves as a linguistic and cultural minority group rather than a disabled group. A sign bilingual approach encourages the involvement of deaf as well as hearing people, and recognition of the culture of Deaf people (Gregory 1993 and 2005).

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Location: India International Centre, Max Muellar, Delhi    Activities: Workshop
 ‘Sign Bilingualism is a Human Right’ Conference Seminar Hall No. 1 & 2

We have over 17 million deaf people in India and of which only 5% go to school. The quality of education that is provided in deaf schools is poor because the society has a hard time understanding the culture and linguistic needs of the Deaf community. With this, we decided that there was an urgent need to create awareness on ‘sign bilingualism’ especially among principals and teachers of deaf schools because they play a major role in a child’s life. Sign bilingualism is based on the idea that, as deaf children can potentially easily acquire sign language and may have difficulty in accessing spoken language, they should be given the opportunity to develop sign language. Acquisition of sign language gives deaf children a strong base to learn a second language. Within different educational settings the relative use of the two languages (sign and spoken/written language) may differ, but an essential feature is that the each language is recognized as distinct and used differently. While working towards the same goals as spoken language based approaches, sign bilingualism recognizes the need for a different classroom practice, using different means to achieve the same ends. It also recognizes the Deaf community, that group of Deaf people who see themselves as a linguistic and cultural minority group rather than a disabled group. A sign bilingual approach encourages the involvement of deaf as well as hearing people, and recognition of the culture of Deaf people (Gregory 1993 and 2005).

National Association of the deaf invited all the deaf schools in Delhi and NCR, both Government and Private. Over 30 teachers and principals participated in our conference. Shri Mukul Wasnik, Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment was our Chief Guest and Smt. Stuti Narain Kacker (IAS), Secretary of the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment was our Guest of Honour.

Shri A.S. Narayanan welcomed our Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour and talked about the status of deaf education in India. When a deaf child is advised and forced to learn a spoken language on his own and is unable to hear and understand the language, automatically the education system produces poor educated deaf children who barely understand what they are reading, hardly able to write and converse. But, with the help of sign language, the visual mode of communication, the traditional method can be changed but for that, sign language needs to be recognized as an official language of India. Sign language should be the medium of communication to impart education to deaf children. With this, Mr. Narayanan gave the floor to Dr. Madan Vasishta, Chief Advisor to Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC).

Dr. Vasishta talked on ‘Bilingual Education’ and how sign language can be incorporated as well. A hearing child comes to school with a language that is his mother tongue that he learns through his parents. Through a fair language base, the child learns how to read, write and communicate but 99% of the deaf children who come to school have no language. He is taught words and sentences but, no understanding of those words and sentences. According to the research in America, deaf children with some residual hearing and lipreading skills can and do acquire language but most do not. After 12 years of schooling, the reading and writing level of most of the deaf children are 4.5 Grade and as for India, we are still unaware. But mastery of sign language as a first language leads to learning of spoken/written languages as a second language. The deaf child is able to integrate the visual form with a written form in his head which speeds up their learning process. Similarly, the deaf children of deaf adults who use sign language as a first language learn a lot faster and at par with their hearing peers as well through the bilingual approach. All deaf schools need to adopt this model. Indian Sign Language (ISL) provides the easiest and quickest linguistic environment for the acquisition of a first natural language for Deaf children. ISL is fully VISUAL as well as a complete language. ISL in the classroom makes information fully accessible to Deaf children, which is the 1st step in learning and English literacy development. Therefore, ISL should be the language of instruction because Deaf children do not have to struggle with structure to access content.  The less frustrated they are when they learn, the more motivated they will be to learn.

Smt. Kacker expressed the need to have a standardized Indian Sign language which can be practiced everywhere and by everyone. Also, she urged upon the organisation to give a list of deaf icons from our country because we have heard about many deaf icons from other countries but we would like to give the same platform to the deaf icons from our country.

Shri Mukul Wasnik suggested that an orientation programme on sign language and its understanding for MPs, policy makers, ministries, senior officials and other stakeholders are important and this should take place in the month of December with the full support from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Also, since ISLRTC will be completing a year of laying the foundation stone on 4thOctober, ‘Foundation Day’ should be celebrated inviting everyone and talking on sign language. Another initiative is the establishment of the Department of Disability Affairs and the work seems to be moving at a good pace. There are also plans to revise the ADIP scheme and include deaf people as well. Also, a revised draft bill of Persons with Disabilities to replace the PWD Act 1995 has been sent to all the Ministries of various states. Comments are to be expected by 30th September. We are seeing a change for the better.

Then a Q & A round took place between Dr. Vasisht and principals and teachers. It was an interesting session with teachers and principals wanted to gain more knowledge on sign language and how it is practiced in America and how to make classroom teaching better.

The second session was taken by Dr. Surinder Randhawa, Senior Consultant to ISLRTC. She talked on the practical approach of sign bilingualism. Bilingualism aims to develop proficiencies in two languages.

Sign bilingualism in Indian scenario would mean use of Indian Sign Language for communication and as medium of instruction and teaching language(s) of the majority (Hindi, English, Gujrati, Marathi etc.) as second language mainly through reading and writing. Speech can be taught to those who have the aptitude to learn it but it will not be enforced. Bilingual education is the only way for deaf children to gain equal opportunities and allowing them to become full citizens in their own right. Dr Hauser from the Rochester Institute of Technology (USA) presented that research from Neurosciences and Psycholinguistic studies has shown that there is no evidence that learning a sign language interfered with the learning of a second language (including speech). National sign languages are the mother tongues of deaf people and the only language that they acquire fully and effortlessly. WFD and EUD strongly urge stakeholders in education to take under consideration the unique needs of deaf children by supporting their sign language acquisition as well as the learning of the national (written) language. Sign language is a full language and it is not dependent on any other language. Research has shown that a deaf child gain most of the information visually but miss out on the majority of information when it is transferred either through speech or gestures. Gallaudet University has principals, PhDs, teachers who are deaf. Why not the same for our country? The Deaf community is the untapped resource of our country.

The last session was taken by Smt. Ruma Roka, Founder of Noida Deaf Society (NDS). She talked about the future of deaf adults. How to make them independent inspite of the poor education system? This is where NDS comes in. They bridge the gap between the school education and the skills for employment required by companies. The deaf students who study at NDS learn how to stand for themselves, empower oneself, more importantly, how to communicate. Every course that is taught at NDS is through Sign Language only. Courses like English, Computer Skills, Soft Skills, ISL Classes, etc. are all taught through sign language. From having only 5 students and one centre to now, 804 students and 5 centres, NDS has a vision to have a big centre with residential facility. They have 15 deaf trainers and management staff.

Shri Zorin Singha, President, National Association of the Deaf thanked everyone for taking time out and participating in our conference. He also shared how Smt. Ruma Roka had been a communication bridge for him and his family when his son had taken a fall from the top floor of his school to the basement. His sonhad lost a spleen, one kidney and multiple fractures in his skull. He said that it would have been more difficult had Smt. Roka not been there being his voice.

The teachers and principals, upon interacting with our guest speakers, were enlightened and understood, empathised what a deaf child felt. They supported the concept of sign bilingualism, moreover, they were interested to learn sign language so that they can communicate with the children better and understand better.

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Location: Hotel Om Tower, Jaipur, Rajasthan    Activities: Events
55th International Week of The Deaf Celebrations 2012 Sign Bilingualism is a Human Right’ Conference

“A sign bilingual child is the one who uses two or more languages in their daily life, at least one of which is a sign language.

Sign bilingual education is an approach to the education of deaf children, which, in India, will use Indian Sign Language and a spoken language.”

We have over 17 million deaf people in our country. The quality of education that is provided in deaf schools is poor because the society has a hard time understanding the culture and linguistic needs of the Deaf community.

Our teachers need to be equipped and trained in Sign Language before teaching a class of deaf children. Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre should train the teachers in Sign Language and Deaf culture so that education can be imparted in the best way possible. This was discussed by Prof. Dr. Madan Vasishta, Chief Advisor of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre and also an associate professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Over 50 teachers and principals of deaf schools from Jaipur participated in this conference. It was an interactive seminar led by Dr. Vasishta on the basic understanding of the importance of sign language being a mother tongue of a deaf child.

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Location: INDIRA HOLIDAY HOME, SECTOR – 24B, CHANDIGARH    Activities: Conference
5TH NATIONAL DEAF CONFERENCE

The 5th National Deaf Conference organised by National Association of the Deaf saw participation of more that 150 deaf adults who came from all over the country. The two-day conference entailed presentations by Dr. MadanVasisht (Associate Professor, Department of Administration and Supervision, Gallaudet University, Washington DC, USA), Mr. Sibaji Panda (Professor of B.A. Applied Sign Language Studies at IGNOU, Delhi & Lecturer, International Institute for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK), Mr. Zorin Singha (President) and Mr. A.S. Narayanan (General Secretary) respectively, of National Association of the Deaf.

Dr. Vasisht explained the culture of the deaf community and domestic violence in the deaf community. Deaf are those individuals who, in addition to not hearing, are members of the deaf community, subscribing to the unique cultural norms, values and traditions of that group. This community usually uses Indian Sign Language (ISL) as their first language. Their primary language is ISL, which has its own rules of grammar and syntax. Deaf become more susceptible to victimisation because of their inability to communicate with law enforcement, medical professionals, etc., helplessness and the tradition of secrecy within the culture/protection of perpetrators who are members of the community.

Dr. Madan Vasisht talked about NAD and their work that is getting recognition in every aspect of the deaf world. He insisted that more deaf individuals should join NAD and support their work and also, help them to create a greater base of membership.

Mr. Sibaji Panda explained the theme “Diversity and Unity”, how each and every individual is different yet united by a particular cause or a feeling of oneness. There are diverse modes of communication within the deaf community ranging from Sign Language to Oralism to Total Communication. He further explained if a person focuses on the differences rather than similarities, it becomes hard to progress. Unity becomes a tricky thing. We need to learn to be united in diversity.

Mr. Sibaji Panda encouraged our deaf youth to try to be an agent of change. There are problems everywhere and most may not know how to solve it. There is one process to solving a problem, no matter if it’s big or small. It is a slow process to make “change” happen, it is simple though not easy and it requires “strategy execution”. We need to start by first, identifying the issue then pinpointing the actual problem. After determining what can be done, we have to create a team with action plan which would help us to monitor accountability and then, make an impact. The key is to overcome impediments and bypass “NO’s”. He concluded with one of the popular quotes that “You don’t have to be great to get started but you have to get started to be great.”

Mr. Zorin Singha and Mr. A. S. Narayanan shared their report on the developments, achievements and ongoing process being done by NAD. They shared the success of the Census of India 2011 that included the question on disability and also, the inauguration of Indian Sign Language and Training Centre (ISLRTC). Mr. Anuj Jain explained the Unity/Disunity powerpoint presentation to all deaf delegates. It helps them to have more unity between their deaf associations with different deaf associations in the parts of India.

After the Conference, most of the deaf delegates rode on the double bus from CITCO sponsoring the free of cost for double bus and went on tour to the city of Chandigarh and Rock Garden and Sukhana Lake, they had a good time and fun much for enjoying on tour to Chandigarh. We specially thank CITCO sponsoring us.

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Location: Jaipur (Rajasthan)    Activities: Workshop
State Deaf Workshop on UNCRPD

Rajasthan Association of the Deaf (RAD) organized the first kind of the State Deaf Awareness Workshop on UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) between 23rd & 24th March, 2012 at Jaipur, Rajasthan between 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. There were about 75 deaf delegates from all over Rajasthan participated in the Workshop for 2 days.

Mr. Dilip Jangir, General Secretary of Rajasthan Association of the Deaf invited Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of National Association of the Deaf to be lecture at the Workshop in Jaipur for 2 days. Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD shared the different PowerPoint Presentations about the Human Rights on Video, the human rights/laws, & UNCRPD. We created an awareness on UNCRPD to help deaf people understand and know the laws and rights of the deaf. It helps to empower them to do themselves by their own decision in their lives in Rajasthan.

A milestone for the advocacy of the rights of persons with disabilities is now steadily gaining worldwide acceptance and support. This is known as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) refers to a document focusing on international human rights of people with disabilities. It was created by the United Nations and is being monitored by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Guiding Principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:-

Eight principles form the base for the Convention and the articles included in it. Below are the guiding principles:

  • Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one's own choices, and independence of persons
  • Non-discrimination
  • Full and effective participation and inclusion in society
  • Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity
  • Equality of opportunity
  • Accessibility
  • Equality between men and women
  • Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities

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Location: Chandigarh    Activities: Events
Punjab Deaf Conference

We have also been able to successfully conduct the Punjab Deaf Conference at Auditorium, Govt. Medical College & Hospital , Sector 32, Chandigarh on 3rd March, 2012. This benefits the Deaf Punjab People to learn and educate themselves about their rights, to empower themselves, understand the issues faced by our deaf leaders. Mr. A. S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD shared the powerpoint presentations about the history of ISLRTC and the success of NAD. Zorin Singha, President of NAD testified about his visit to the International Disability Alliance, Geneva, Switzerland in September 2011 and explained the powerpoint presentation about the UNCRPD India. The Deaf Punjab People were very impressed by both of them first time. There were about 303 deaf participants from only Punjab in the Conference.

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Location: Delhi    Activities: Workshop
Kids of Deaf Adults (KODA) Workshop

We organized conducting the first time of Kids of Deaf Adults Workshop (KODA) in Delhi, India on 30th December, 2011 at Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi. There were about 20 hearing children & 20 deaf parents & 45 deaf members of Delhi Deaf Friendship Club, Gurgaon Deaf Friendship Club, Noida Deaf Friendship Club, Ghaziabad Deaf Friendship Club, Faridabad Deaf Friendship Club, Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women, Noida Deaf Society, Delhi Association of the Deaf, Silent Sports Promotion Society, & BAASL of IGNOU participating in the KODA Workshop.

Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar and Dr. Raja Kushalnager both are professors at RIT {Rochester Institute of Technology} (NTID {National Technical Institute for the Deaf}). They visited India with family and are happy to stop by in Delhi to present the KODA Workshop on 30th December 2011. Dr. Poorna has Ph.D. in Neuropscychology and Dr. Raja has Ph.D. in Computer Science.

We made a joint presentation on "Life in America”. This showed and told kind of presentation, which helped the members of hearing children of deaf parents learnt about a deaf family with hearing children growing in America. Education, jobs, communication, challenges of raising hearing kids, laws in America that helped deaf parent two (where would deaf parent two be if they were in India all the time?).  The goal is for audience to know that with their support, deaf people can do anything. Dr. Poorna led the discussions about coping with deafness or something like that and included their two sons to show how they raise two hearing kids (KODA).

Dr. Raja teaches the advance computer teaching skills to computer deaf teachers. He is perhaps the only one deaf person in the world who has a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

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Location: India Gate, Delhi    Activities: Dharna Events
World Disability Day 2011

We, National Association of the Deaf (NAD) & National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) shared organizing the World Disability Day 2011 successfully, we had a large solidarity rally at the lawns of Boat Club next to Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, Delhi on 3rdDecember, 2011.

Our demand this year was the need to RECOGNISE INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE AS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF INDIA. It was time to show our solidarity. It was time to show unity. It was time to ensure a right legacy. There were 10,000 deaf people from all over the country participating in the peaceful protest.

Mr. Zorin Singha President of NAD, Mr. A. S. Narayanan Secretary of NAD, Mr. Javed Abidi Director of NCPEDP, Mr. TKM Sandeep CEO of Deaf Enabled Foundation, Mr. Arun C. Rao Executive Director of The Deaf Way Foundation & Ruma Roka, General Secretary of Noida Deaf Society shared the showcases on the stage behind India Gate. They flagged off 500 balloons to the High Sky Up. Mr. Vishal Arora, Asst. Treasurer of NAD explained the deaf issues to the audience. The Deaf Members of Delhi Deaf Friendship Society & Deaf Students of Noida Deaf Society shared performing 5 different mimes.

On World Disability Day, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and National Association of the Deaf (NAD) have demanded official language status for sign language and training of people to become sign language interpreters at public places.

Addressing hearing impaired persons who carried out a silent march at India Gate here on Saturday to protest against the Union government's silence on their concerns, NAD President Zorin Singha, aided by an interpreter, said India was home to over 70 million people with disabilities.

“Of this, 18 million are people with hearing impairment. Unfortunately, the concerns of the deaf people in India have not been addressed even 64 years after Independence.”

Empathising with the problems faced by deaf persons on a daily basis, Mr. Singha said: “You cannot go to school or watch television. And God forbid if you have to go to the police station or hospital for an emergency. If you go to the railway station to catch a train and suddenly there is an announcement that your train has been postponed or the platform number has suddenly changed. But you cannot hear a word. It is a matter of concern that there are no visual announcements for hearing impaired people and no visual emergency alarms in case a fire breaks out in a building.”

Expressing concern over the movement of the hearing impaired being in a nascent state, Mr. Zorin said the NAD advocates for the rights of the hearing impaired and liaises with the government and policy makers.

“We are currently hosting State-level meetings across the country to spread awareness among hearing impaired people on their rights and to also recruit more members.”

Reminding that the High Court in a recent ruling had ordered that a survey must be undertaken in public buildings, hospitals, airports, railway stations that require sign language interpreters, NCPEDP Director Mr. Javed Abidi said: “In this country, we have 18 million hearing impaired people but only 250 certified interpreters by a conservative estimate. If we are having dearth of sign language interpreters, then how would we deploy them at public places?” By The Hindu.

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Location: Delhi    Activities: Events
NCDEDP-SHELL Helen Keller Awards 2011

The story of The NCPEDP - Shell Helen Keller Awards started way back in 1999. Over the years, these awards have come to be recognized as the most prestigious Indian benchmark for honouring people and organisations which have been working towards promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The awards are given away in 3 categories:

Category A: Role Model Disabled Person: Disabled persons from within the disability sector and outside who have been active as ambassadors of the cause of employment for disabled people and are a positive role model for others.

AWARDEES:-

1.Ashwin Karthik, Delivery Software Engineer, MphasiS, Bengaluru

2.Nilesh Singhal, Deputy Manager, State Bank of India, Bhopal

3.Pradeep Raj, General Secretary, Association for Disabled People, Delhi

Category B: Role Model Supporter of Increased Employment Opportunities for Disabled People: Individuals from within the disability sector or outside who have contributed substantially to the cause of promoting employment opportunities for disabled people over an extended period of time.

AWARDEES:-

1.Meera Shenoy, Chief Executive, Centre for PwD Livelihoods (CPDL), Hyderabad

2.Niranjan Khatri, General Manager of WelcomEnviron Initiatives, ITC Welcomgroup, New Delhi

3.Thilakam Rajendran, Managing Director, ARUNIM, New Delhi

Category C: Role Model Companies/NGOs/Institutions: Organisations from the disability sector or outside who have shown their commitment towards promoting equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

AWARDEES:-

1.Aegis Limited, Mumbai

2.Deaf Enabled Foundation, Hyderabad

3.ITC Hotel The Maurya, New Delhi

4.Muskaan (Parents Association for the Welfare of Children with Mental Handicap), New Delhi

5.Pointec Pens Private Limited, Bengaluru

Each year a total of 10 awards are given away – 3 each in the individual category and 4 for role model companies/organisations on 2nd December, the eve of World Disability Day.

We wish to greatly congratulate Deaf Enabled Foundation who received the 13th NCDEDP-SHELL Helen Keller Awards 2011 for Role Model NGO. We wish them a successful in the future.

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Location: Noida, Uttar Pradesh    Activities: Events
Empowering Deaf People

We have also been able to successfully conduct the Empowering Deaf People at Auditorium, Christ Church, Sector 29, Noida on 2nd October, 2011.

This benefits the Deaf to learn and educate themselves about their rights, to empower themselves, understand the issues faced by our deaf leaders.

Zorin Singha, President of NAD testified about his visit to the International Disability Alliance, Geneva, Switzerland in September 2011. They were very impressed by his testimony.

Mr. Anuj Jain, Joint Secretary of NAD explained the meaning of the Human Rights and the meaning of the deaf empowerment to all deaf participants. They are excited to learn the new things.

Mr. A. S. Narayanan, Secretary of NAD shared the Gandhi’s Life Story PowerPoint Presentations on the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October, 2011.

There were about 423 deaf participants from only NCR in the Seminar.

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Location: Durban, South Africa    Activities: Events
World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf 2011

On July 18, 2011, the 93rd birthday of human rights activist Nelson Mandela, over 2,100 registered participants from 125 countries came together in Durban, South Africa for the XVI World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).

This was (Mr. A. S. Narayanan (Secretary), Mr. Anuj Jain (Joint Secretary), Mrs. Geeta Sharma (Woman Secretary), Mr. Dilip Jangir (Executive Board Member), Mr. Umesh Grover (Executive Board Member), Ms. Anu Saigal (North India Deaf Woman Committee) & Mr. Yogindra Nath Bhargava (Member) from  National Association of The Deaf, India’s first opportunity to attend a WFD World Congress, which are only hosted every four years. In between presentations on Deaf Education, Developing Countries, Human Rights, and Sign Language and Deaf Studies as part of the event's "Global Deaf Renaissance" theme, we held meetings with officials from the WFD, the USA National Association of the Deaf (NAD), and numerous other NADs around the globe. We are grateful to learn from these well-established organizations, and look forward to collective efforts reinforcing the work of local Deaf leaders in developing countries.

WFD is an international non-governmental organization representing approximately 70 million Deaf people around the globe, over which 80% live in developing countries. Recognized as a spokes-organization by the United Nations (UN), WFD works collaboratively with the UN to promote the human rights of Deaf people, preserve native sign languages, and ensure that Deaf people have equal access to education and information. At this year's Congress, outgoing WFD president Markku Jokinen received the Dr. Liisa Kauppinen Human Rights Award for his benevolent service to Deaf people worldwide during his past eight years in office. His role as president has now been passed to Colin Allen of Australia, whom the international Deaf community has revered for his extraordinary leadership.

Throughout the week, we were informed about current research studies on the status of Deaf people, sign language, and interpreters from Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and the Americas. Here are a handful of interesting facts we learned:

  • WFD has documented 27 countries who have officially recognized sign language at various levels;
  • In Sweden, for every Deaf person who uses sign language, there are 8-10 hearing people who us sign language (parents, partners, interpreters, CODAs, etc.);
  • Countries in Francophone West & Central Africa Regions each have 1-5 sign language interpreters for the entire country, all of whom are informal & untrained;
  • 31% of CODAs (hearing children of deaf adults) in South Africa feel their identity is more Deaf than hearing; and
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing students are 1.5x more likely to be victims of abuse.

While our time in South Africa was short, we were honored to have met and learned from the many wonderful people endeavoring to improve the lives of Deaf people around the world. As Nelson Mandela famously said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Through collaboration with organizations like WFD, and NAD aims to supplement such positive change.

We are already looking forward to the XVII WFD World Congress which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2015. In addition, WFD will be hosting their Second International Conference in Sydney, Australia from October 16-18, 2013.

For more information on WFD, visit their homepage at: www.wfdeaf.org

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Location: Ecumenical Christian Centre,Bengaluru (Karnataka)    Activities: Conference Events
The 4th National Deaf Conference organized by NAD

The 4th National Deaf Conference was organized by The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) at the Ecumenical Christian Centre,Bengaluru (Karnataka) on the 4th and 5th of June 2011.

The guests for the occasion were Shri Zorin Singha, the President of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD); Shri A.S. Narayanan, General Secretary of NAD and Shri T.K.M. Sandeep, Treasurer of National Association of the Deaf & Chief Executive of Deaf Enabled Foundation. Shri Singha, Shri Narayanan & Shri Sandeep share spoke about background of National Deaf Conference.

About 120 Deaf persons and Deaf leaders from 12 states of India participated in the conference and made it a great success.

Presentations were made by Shri Narayanan, Shri Singha, Shri Sandeep and Shri Anuj Jain. The presentations were on the various activities of the NAD which includes work related to Indian Sign Language Research and Training Institute, Deaf Education In India, New Disabilities Act 2010 in India, NAD Youth Section, International Deaf Organisation & Sign’n’Talk. The Deaf participants also made recommendations on how to handle problems concerning the Deaf in the Action Plan for 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017).

The Conference instilled a lot of confidence in all the participants as they were better informed on the opportunities available for the Deaf and many of them stated that they would spread this information about the Rights of the Deaf many more people. They expressed their happiness at having gained so much through this conference.

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Location: India Gate, New Delhi    Activities: Dharna Events
WORLD DISABILITY DAY CELEBRATION, and National Association of The Deaf, Protest

Day celebrations on December 3. The event was organized by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.) in collaboration with National Association of Deaf (N.A.D.). This was the 13th ‘Walk to Freedom’ and this year’s theme was ‘Say No to Amendments. Say Yes to New Law’.

The three demands that the disability sector put forward were the need for a new Disability Act, in line with U.N. Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities; implementation of promises made to the disability sector under the XIth Five Year Plan; and easy and faster access to disability certificates.

There are according to varying estimates, between 20 - 25 million people who are deaf in India add to this the hard of hearing figure and you have a rather large total of 50 or more million people who are affected by hearing impairment.

A cultural programme was organised where disabled children from various organizations took part. An exhibition was also organized by National Trust on its ‘Badhte Kadam’ initiative which aimed at spreading awareness on disability issues. Posters, booklets, etc. were showcased in the exhibition.

Thousands of deaf protestors bring Planning Commission to a standstill

As the Government celebrated another cosmetic World Disability Day on December 3, around 2000 hearing impaired people from across the country under the banner of National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.) stormed Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi, which houses the office of the Planning Commission, protesting against the non-implementation of the XIth Five Year Plan.

The protestors blocked the entry to the building and the road and refused to budge from there till their demands were heard. The XIth Five Year Plan has an entire chapter on disability with maximum benefits for the deaf community. The Plan mandates the setting up of a Sign language Research and Training Centre, a National Captioning Centre, at least one residential school up to class XII for hearing impaired students in every state and one degree college in every zone, among other things. But more than 2 years after the Plan came into force, implementation has been zero.

N.A.D. had been trying to meet with the Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia for close to 3 months without avail. Ironically, half an hour into the protest, Dr. Ahluwalia agreed to meet the leadership of N.A.D.

A.S. Narayanan, Secretary, N.A.D.; Zorin Singha, President, N.A.D.; along with Arun Rao of The Deafway Foundation and Javed Abidi, Convenor, Disabled Rights Group (D.R.G.) expressed their deep displeasure at the non-implementation of the promises made to the disability sector in general and the deaf community in particular, under the XIth Five Year Plan. Dr. Ahluwalia immediately offered to have a Committee constituted to review this issue as a part of the ongoing mid term appraisal of the Plan. But the delegation categorically refused this offer and said that mere assurances and reviews would no longer work. They needed a tangible time frame.

After much back and forth, Dr. Ahluwalia conceded to personally put in a word with the Prime Minister at a cabinet meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. that very day. He also agreed to talk to Mukul Wasnik, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, the nodal ministry for disability related issues.

Undeterred by the cold, the thousands of deaf protestors continued on with their ‘indefinite dharna’. As the word spread, a large number of media people started descending at Yojna Bhavan. With the clock ticking and virtually with every passing minute, the embarrassment only kept increasing for Government of India! The pressure was truly mounting.

Finally at around 8 p.m., Mukul Wasnik personally spoke to Abidi over the cellphone and invited the N.A.D. delegation for a meeting at his residence. Wasnik listened patiently to the demands. Shockingly, he was not even aware of the chapter on disability in the XIth Five Year Plan. Arun Rao told Wasnik that due to the lack of sign language training, education for hearing impaired children in the country is vastly neglected, as a result of which the level of their employment is pretty dismal. Rao informed the Minister that India only has 6 trained sign language interpreters! He firmly reiterated that only the setting up of Sign Language Institute will address these needs. Rao also lamented the absence of the post of sign language interpreter at public utility services like railway stations, airports, passport offices, etc.

Wasnik assured the delegation that he would look into all the mandates of the XIth Five Year Plan and will schedule another meeting soon. Finally, the protest was called off at about 10 p.m., nearly 8 hours after it all began. issues. Posters, booklets, etc. were showcased in the exhibition.

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Location: Warangal, Andhra Pradesh    Activities: Conference
2ND NATIONAL DEAF CONFERENCE

On 25th and 26th of April’09. The 2nd national deaf conference was held at Warangal. The conference was inaugurated by Mr. Zorin Singha, President of National Association of the Deaf and Mr. A.S.Narayanan, General Secretary of NAD , Mr. Arun C.Rao, President of ASLI by lighting the lamp. People from different parts of India participated in a large scale and made the programme a grand success. There were nine interpreters who attended this conference.

Mr. A.S.Narayanan explained about the laws and rights which are present to help the deaf to live their livelihood. He also talked about NAD and stressed on the fact that all associations coming together for a cause constitute NAD. He mentioned about the job crises among the deaf community and how discrimination was done between deaf and partially deaf candidates.

Mr. Zorin Singha spoke about the lack of a systematic education system in India for the deaf people. Here the deaf are hardworking and sincere but still they don’t have job opportunities. In foreign countries they have all the provisions available for the deaf are far cry from the provisions available in our country. In India things haven’t changed much since independence. He also explained about the struggles which he has faced in his life as a deaf. He spoke about how it was time for the deaf to rise up to the situation and become aware of their rights and claim them from the Govt. He wants the deaf to take charge of their own rights as the past is gone and the future is yet to come. Alone a person can’t do anything but millions can do many things.

Mr. Arun. C. Rao explained about a new world of opportunity for the interpreters. Interpreters should be experienced in their profession. He talked about WASLI and ASLI and how to become a member of them. There is a huge necessity for more interpreters. The deaf must have interpreters as this would help break the communication barrier between the normal and the deaf. Sign language should be taught in all normal schools as a part of their syllabus and how it is vital for interpreters to hail from all fields.

In the end it was a very enlightening conference as most of the participants had an opportunity to clarify their doubts and meet more people from all walks of life.

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Location: India Gate, New Delhi    Activities: Dharna
World Disability Day, 2008

On Wednesday afternoon at 3pm we organized a massive rally of around 5000 disabled people. People from all over India got together at India Gate to demonstrate their strength and solidarity. The get together was a peaceful one and we also lit candles to mark our solidarity with the Mumbai attacks heroes and victims.

Apart from our host Mr. Zorin Singha (President, NAD), we had a wide array of speakers who had all gathered together for a common cause and that was the implementation of the 11th Five Year Plan where certain demands of ours were addressed unlike the other plans. Last year we thought was a momentous year as not only did our country ratify the UN Convention but also a distinct chapter was included in the 11th Five year plan on disability, but unfortunately no further action has been taken. All promises remain on paper only, its time we woke up the government to take some action, be it -

- Creating a separate Ministry for the disabled.
- 3% allocation of funds for disabled in every Ministry.
- To make Sign Language Indian as one of the official languages of our country
- To appoint interpreters in various ministries.
- Implementation of the UNCRPD, to name a few.

We had cultural programmes put up like songs, mime plays, dance etc. to entertain all the attendees. The talented Ms. Benzi sang beautifully two patriotic songs. We also had a troop who came all the way from Hyderabad to perform for us.

Our representatives comprising of Mr. Javed Abidi, Mr.Arun.C.Rao, Mr.Zorin Singha, had gone to visit the Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, to place our demands in front of him but were unable to do so as he was not in town. but that did not dampen our spirits, as this rally was a great success. It provided an opportunity for all to meet and interact with each other. They were able to share with each other their problems and experiences. Also Mr. Sanjay Mitra , Joint Secretary of disability in PMO promised us that he shall brief Hon'ble Prime Minister about our demands and that some action will be surely taken .We shall all pray that things fall in place this time.

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Location: USI Residency , New Delhi    Activities: Meeting
National Awareness Workshop on UNCRPD and 11th 5 Year Plan

The NAD was represented at the meeting by Zorin Singha, A.S.Narayanan, MamtaNagpal, Geeta Sharma, and Mr. T. Raghava was a special invitee. The 11th 5 year plan and the UNCRPD was discussed at length and the salient features of the 2 documents were outlined for action. The need for an action plan on advocacy was shared and work on the action plan was begun at the meeting. The work ahead will be taken up by the National Committee.

National Awareness Workshop on UNCRPD and XIth 5 Year Plan

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Location: Delhi    Activities: Events
 International Day of the Deaf 2008

Letters from MSJE to Ministries

NAD demands

Advocacy with the Ministry:

The Secretary of NAD and Dr. Madan Vasishta were able to share the concerns of the NAD with Mr Ashish Kumar, JT Sec MSJE. We shared our concerns with him and asked him to support the deaf community by enacting and implementing the provisions in the 11th 5 year plan. He has taken up the issues we have raised with him and as such has issued letters to Secretaries of all States and also other Central Govt ministries.

Copies of the letters are available for download.

The 51st International Day of the Deaf was celebrated on 28th September 2008 in Delhi. A large gathering of 300 deaf persons met at the Indian Social Institute under the leadership of the President Zorin Singha and Secretary A.S. Narayanan. The work of NAD over the past year was shared with the assembled deaf persons. The new passage of the 11th Plan 2007-2012 and the provisions that are shared therein. The new NAD website was also shared with the group.

Mr. T. Raghava, Secretary, All India Deaf Bank Employees Association was honored with the NAD “Life Time Achievement Award”. His life of service to the deaf community in terms of preparing deaf persons to work in banks and creating training modules for the current deaf bank employees to work in their posts in a more efficient manner. He was a charter member of the DAD, AIFD and AISCD and set up AIDBEA after his selection by Indian Bank.

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Location: Delhi    Activities: Conference
National Deaf Conference 2008

The first National deaf conference was held on 26-27th April 2008. The NAD invited delegates from all deaf organisations all over the country. The response was overwhelming. A huge number of delegates from 14 states swamped the convention center and an amazing synergy developed.

Deaf leaders from across India coming together to discuss advocacy and disability issues across the board was unprecedented. Various strategies for approaching the govt and tackling the problems faced by deaf persons were discussed. Notable speakers at the event included Mr Colin Gonsalves Supreme court advocate, Justice Zac Yacoob from the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Dr. Surinder Randhawa among others.

The 260 delegates were each given a package of material developed by the NAD for understanding legal process and the rights under law.

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