India has over 8 million deaf population. When the Prime Minister Hon' Shri. Narendra Modi addressed the country and requested everyone to stay indoors on 22nd March, due to the Coronavirus pandemic and take appropriate measures to practice social distancing, most deaf people did not understand the instructions.
The deaf community needs information in a language that they understand and can relate to - The Indian Sign Language. Indian Sign Language is the most popular & accepted mode of communication among the deaf community. This is a natural and native language that most deaf can understand.
In times like these, it is critical that the right information and instructions from the government to reach every single citizen and understood by all.
Sign School - played its humble part and translated the message for the millions of deaf Indians the very next day. Similarly, today when the Prime Minister will address the country again, they will attempt a more real-time experience by streaming his speech live via YouTube. You can find the link for the same here.
Sign School is an initiative by "The Gopalakrishnan Foundation For Deaf". They aim to create accessible content for K-12 education, learning & skill-building, general knowledge, and news in Indian Sign Language. They also build awareness about Indian Sign Language among the hearing and aim to grow the population of hearing people who can communicate with the deaf without boundaries and interpret for them in situations where they need help.
This article is contributed by Chaitanya K, Executive Secretary - The Gopalakrishnan Foundation For Deaf.
