AsianScientist (Oct. 4, 2011) – A long cherished dream of the deaf community in India is being realized, said Shri Mukul Wasnik, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment.
The Minister was attending the inauguration of the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) – the first of its kind in India – at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) campus in New Delhi. IGNOU is the largest university in the world with 3.5 million students.
Also present was Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister for Human Resource Development; Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor of IGNOU; Prof. Madan Vasishta, Honorary Director of the newly established ISLRTC; as well as other dignitaries.
The new center is slated to be an exclusive education project for teaching, learning, training, and capacity building for the vast deaf population of India, said a press statement from the Ministry.
During his inauguration speech, Minister Wasnik said that as per the 2001 census, the population in India with hearing impairment was over 1.26 million, and as per the 58th round of National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) the hearing impaired population was 3.06 million.
The New Delhi center would consist of short term, medium, and full-fledged programs for teachers of deaf schools at all skill levels, he said. Not only will there be facilities for full time teaching and training of the Indian Sign Language, there will also be distance teaching and learning opportunities, as well as zonal and regional centers across the country.
According to the minister, sign language in India is still at a nascent stage and evolving, with its reach limited to certain pockets of the country. The opening of the Center was a historic occasion, he said, as it represented the commitment of the Government to fulfill the needs of the deaf community in India.
Thinking innovatively was important, he said, proposing that India start Sign Language Clubs across the country attached to colleges and universities, a concept made popular in the United States.
Besides physical locations, the Minister also cited the success of the European Sign Language Center in creating a web throughout 10 European countries, and requested that the new ISLRTC Director to explore the possibility of using the internet to reach out to the deaf population across India.
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Source: Press Information Bureau, India; Image source: DOOR-India.
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