ISH Siksha is Transforming the Way People Look at Indian Sign Language

"In India, there are no proper methods of accessible education for the Deaf, as a result, 95% of the 6.3 crore deaf people are facing difficulties in employment which further affects their standard way of living", says the portal of ISH Siksha. To provide a medium for these people, the idea of ISH Siksha by Singing Hands Foundation sprung in the minds of Alok Kejriwal. Alok and his team founded this organisation in 2020 with the objective of providing accessibility to promote education for the deaf. 

"Deaf people have always lagged behind in terms of education and the literacy level has been below par due to the lack of quality education and accessibility for them at schools in India," says Aqil Chinoy, Project Director at  ISH Siksha. To serve this purpose, ISH Siksha was initiated for deaf kids at first, so that they learn from a tender age when it is easy to grasp. At ISH, Indian Sign Language is promoted and taught to those who are deaf and to anybody willing to learn the language. "We want many hearing people to be able to communicate with the deaf, whether it is at a workplace or around family and friends," says Aqil. They have launched an Indian Sign Language (ISL) course to promote and encourage hearing people to learn the basics of Indian Sign Language so that they can communicate with the deaf.

In order to spread awareness about the ISL and provide a platform for deaf people, this foundation has created a talk show. This show features some noteworthy people from the community who talk about overcoming their difficulties and doing great things that can inspire many like them. The foundation has also partnered with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, a government, part of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment that aims to facilitate empowerment of the persons with disabilities to promote sign language. They have also played a pivotal role in making the 1000-word dictionary for ISL in collaboration with the Indian Sign Language Research And Training Center, another government of India initiative. 

Aqil says, "Times have changed and a few people are willing to learn sign languages but we have a long way to go." Earlier, deaf people used to struggle a lot while communicating and learning or watching things. Now, at least a few movies and events have started using sign language. "When it comes to sports, recently, we worked with Star Sports to provide the Indian Sign Language interpretation for the IPL and World Cup. Aqil attributes this as a positive change but feels there's a lot more work to do at the grassroots level in making ISL a part of everyday life rather than a special activity at some event. ISH Siksha aims to become a pioneering platform in taking the first step in every change the community and the system need.