Now, training for mothers of hearing-impaired children in Karnataka

In a push to ensure better learning among the hearing-impaired kids in the state, the Department for the Empowerment of the Differently Abled has started a new programme to train mothers of children with such disabilities.

In the first phase, the training has been started at centres in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi, and Kalaburagi. Every centre provides training to 25 mothers.

“Early identification and training children with hearing impairment within the age of two years goes a long way in ensuring better learning capabilities. However, this will be possible only if mothers are able to teach kids in a specific way and we want to train mothers in this direction,” said K S Latha Kumari, director of the department.

She pointed out that there have been numerous examples of children learning languages when taught during the early years and the programme was inspired by such examples.

The department has joined hands with a number of NGOs to implement the programme and has also designed the training module in consultation with the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH).

"The training for the mothers will focus on helping them understand various methods and ways to communicate with the hearing impaired child. Once the mother is able to communicate with the child, she will be trained on how to bring children into the language-learning stream,” Latha Kumari added.

Apart from the training which was introduced recently, the department is running a number of other programmes to ensure the inclusion of the hearing impaired.

December 3 is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

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'Improve accessibility to public services'

The Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) has urged the government and private sector companies to improve accessibility for the deaf.

The Association's representatives said that those with hearing impairment do not have access to interpreters and this prevents them from access to public services, education, and justice. “Many times, the deaf cannot explain their complaints to the police or seek medical suggestions from the doctors. The government needs to ensure that this communication barrier is removed,” said Arun Rao, executive director, ASLI.

People with hearing impairment need to be represented accurately and this calls for well-qualified interpreters, he added.