August 8, 2019
A petition seeking to make Indian sign language compulsory in all
schools and colleges has been moved by Sangeeta Gala, a prominent deaf
activist and sign language consultant for Bollywood films. The petition
details the ways in which sign language can be made a part of the curriculum
and urges the community to push the government to include this while framing
the National Education Policy.
Of the estimated 20 lakh deaf children in India, only 12 lakh attend basic
schooling, the rest are drop outs or have no access to education. Those who
do attend deaf schools don’t have access to quality education or are denied
access to sign language, restricting development.
The only way to change this and enable an equal platform for deaf and hard of
hearing students is to make Indian sign language compulsory in all schools
and colleges, believes deaf activist Sangeeta Gala.
In a petition titled National Education Policy 2019 – Indian Sign
Language – ISL to be Included in all Hearing-Deaf Schools and Hearing
Colleges, Sangeeta has asked the Deaf community to urge the
government to push for sign language inclusion in all academic curriculum.
This, says Sangeeta, is essential as language deprivation or delays between
ages 0-5 years is the main cause of many deaf children’s eventual reading,
academic, and social struggles. By the age of five, when a child’s brain is
90% developed, most deaf children enter kindergarten without language,
leading to what she describes as an “epidemic of language deprivation in
deaf children.”
The petition recommends ways in which this inclusion can happen:
I urge the Deaf community to fill the online form and state that Indian
sign language be considered as one of the languages in schools. It is the
first time that the Government of India has asked the public for their
opinion. Indian Sign language must be one of the subjects in school and
universities. It is our chance to persuade the government and change the
Indian education system to make sure that Indian sign language is a part of
all schools.- Sangeeta Gala, Deaf activist
The petition has many other important details and you can read it here.
Including sign language in academic curriculum, says Ruma Roka,
Founder, Noida Deaf Society would help end the isolation faced by
deaf and hard of hearing children. “This would be a big step if it happens.
Today deaf people are cut off due to language and ISL is even regarded as a
bad word”. She points to the attitude within deaf schools to make the
point. “Even at deaf schools you barely hear sign language because the
focus is always on speech. Including this in the curriculum will mean
recognition as a linguistic minority”.
Vidya Menon, a Deaf teacher at impact enterprise
v-shesh believes this will pave the way for more inclusion
in classrooms. “It’s a good exposure for everyone to know about ISL and
if it’s in the curriculum in all schools then students will learn it like
Hindi and other languages. This will be good for the deaf community where
they can have access to communication and learning and be a part of inclusive
classrooms”.
Vidya believes this will also pave the way for larger inclusion. “The
hearing community will gain more awareness about deaf people and and there
may be more interpreters for deaf people, so I hope the government will
approve this”.
“Why learn English, French, Spanish, etc., when we bump into a deaf person
at every mall”, asks Ruma. “This is more relevant and and a big step
towards diversity and an inclusive society. I hope it comes through”.
