The biggest challenge that the deaf community – not “deaf and dumb”, just deaf – faces in India is communication. Statistics show that there are 18 million deaf people in India and only 250 interpreters. This means that there is only 1 interpreter for 72,000 people.
The team meets up at Central Park in New Delhi every weekend to spend one hour learning and brushing up Indian sign language skills. This is a volunteer-based programme offered free of cost to all visitors. The only incentive is to have more people who can understand Indian sign language and help make more inclusive world.
The event is in sync with Sustainable Development Goals 4 – Quality Education, Goal 8 – Good jobs and Economic Growth and Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
You can join the effort, by contributing one hour on Saturday every week for three months. Join them here.
– Text by Susmita Mukherjee. Images by Rupmani Chhetri and Ashish Sharma
