Zamir
Dhale's favourite pastimes include updating his facebook status, reading
news on the internet and googling for information. The tech-savvy
38-year-old is so in-tune with the latest developments across the world
that it is difficult to believe that he lives in darkness and silence.
Zamir is deaf-blind, like Helen Keller. He works as a senior advocacy officer for an NGO and his main job is to sensitize the government and the public about the special needs of other deaf-blind people.
Zamir is one of the lucky ones - he received training at the right time and also has access to fancy 'Braille-display" gadgets that can be synced with mobile phones and laptops. Thousands of other deaf-blind people in the country do not even receive basic communication training, leaving them cut off from the world.
Speaking through an interpreter at the state advocacy meeting held in Goa on Friday, Zamir said, "deaf-blind children also have the right to good education. The government should train more interpreters and recognize the need for tactical sign language." Tactical sign language is developed for deaf-blind people, who have to 'feel the signs' made by the interpreters' fingers to understand what is being said. Incidentally, Zamir was roped in to acquaint Amitabh Bacchan and Rani Mukherjee in the ways of the deaf-blind, for their film 'Black', which was inspired by Helen Keller's life.
The meeting organized by Caritas-Goa was attended by special educators, doctors and parents of special-needs children.
"Our trust has identified around 5,00,000 deaf-blind people in India, and though there are no official surveys done, we estimate the prevalence of deaf-blindness to be 45 per 1,00,000 population. However, deaf-blindness is still not recognized under the Persons with Disabilities Act," explained Parag Namdeo, senior manager at Sense International (India), a charity that works for the rights of the deaf-blind. The new Disability bill that recognizes deaf-blindness has been pending approval in the parliament since 2011.
In Goa, special educators from Caritas are training 17 deaf-blind people, aged 5 to 40. "Apart from teaching them tactile sign language and braille, we want to make them street savvy and independent. They practice tasks like handling money, shopping for groceries and fixing simple meals for themselves," says Reflino Fernandes, project co-ordinator for Caritas.
Source : TOI , 26th October 2013
Zamir is deaf-blind, like Helen Keller. He works as a senior advocacy officer for an NGO and his main job is to sensitize the government and the public about the special needs of other deaf-blind people.
Zamir is one of the lucky ones - he received training at the right time and also has access to fancy 'Braille-display" gadgets that can be synced with mobile phones and laptops. Thousands of other deaf-blind people in the country do not even receive basic communication training, leaving them cut off from the world.
Speaking through an interpreter at the state advocacy meeting held in Goa on Friday, Zamir said, "deaf-blind children also have the right to good education. The government should train more interpreters and recognize the need for tactical sign language." Tactical sign language is developed for deaf-blind people, who have to 'feel the signs' made by the interpreters' fingers to understand what is being said. Incidentally, Zamir was roped in to acquaint Amitabh Bacchan and Rani Mukherjee in the ways of the deaf-blind, for their film 'Black', which was inspired by Helen Keller's life.
The meeting organized by Caritas-Goa was attended by special educators, doctors and parents of special-needs children.
"Our trust has identified around 5,00,000 deaf-blind people in India, and though there are no official surveys done, we estimate the prevalence of deaf-blindness to be 45 per 1,00,000 population. However, deaf-blindness is still not recognized under the Persons with Disabilities Act," explained Parag Namdeo, senior manager at Sense International (India), a charity that works for the rights of the deaf-blind. The new Disability bill that recognizes deaf-blindness has been pending approval in the parliament since 2011.
In Goa, special educators from Caritas are training 17 deaf-blind people, aged 5 to 40. "Apart from teaching them tactile sign language and braille, we want to make them street savvy and independent. They practice tasks like handling money, shopping for groceries and fixing simple meals for themselves," says Reflino Fernandes, project co-ordinator for Caritas.
Source : TOI , 26th October 2013
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