JOIN USSenses and sensibilities trump their disabilities
In silence, they speak, communicating animatedly in sign language.
All of them, aged between 23 and 28, have either speech or hearing impairment, or both. In most cases, the impairment is total. But being challenged by such adversity has not fazed the youths who have migrated here for a living from places such as Hirekerur and Haveri in central Karnataka.
Many are educated. Some have passed out of ITI or have a diploma in electrical engineering. All work. Some are electricians. Some paint buildings. None is dependent on others, except on kinship that brings them together at the shops that sell mandakki (puffed rice). Munching on the snack, they share their experiences of the day, work problems, new jobs, personal issues, little joys, big sorrows, marriages in the family, illnesses, even the reports in the newspapers, political shenanigans, accidents, sport events, and so on.
When at work, they communicate with each other through SMS. When they get work-related calls on their mobiles, they ask their friends to receive the calls, and interpret it for them. Speaking with this correspondent through sign language, Somashekhar, Kaushik and Chandrashekhar of Hirekerur said there were close to 300 of them with such disabilities in the district who formed a network.
Common challenge
The differences of caste among them are subsumed by the common challenge they face. Their unity and fellow feeling is dramatically evident in the way they back each other. Not many of them have tried medical help to overcome their disabilities. Lack of resources could be the reason, but one suspects, it is more than that. When one can cope with a challenge, that challenge pales as a problem. Shivananda said many of them tried hearing aids, but gave up when the aid became an irritant in the ear, and headaches became too frequent.
What do they expect from society? No sympathy, but decent employment to lead their lives with dignity, communicates one of them. Some time ago, a delegation of them went with their educational certificates to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, requesting for jobs. And were scoffed at for their temerity in demanding jobs. They were turned out unceremoniously. “We can accept that society does not care about us enough to give us an opportunity to lead a dignified life. But why insult us,” asks one of them. Perhaps, the district administration has an answer.