Hyderabad: Meeting needs of specially challenged

Every parent wants their child to be healthy and literate and have happy and productive childhood. The ability to read plays a role in the fun, happy, and productive life of a successful citizen. It is more so in the case of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children.

The main impediment is access to language, access to literacy interactions, and also access to curriculum and materials. Like other children, DFF kids too need good language and reading models, and materials and curricula. More intensive interventions are needed in their case. It is sad that many DHH children lack spoken or signed language.

With the objective of cultivating deaf literacy in Indian sign language, Deaf Enabled Foundation is striving to achieve an inclusive society where hearing impaired can also communicate and lead a life as dignified as everyone. Currently engaged in ensuring these differently abled get employment, the foundation has helped 155 hearing impaired from Hyderabad and 375 DFF children from across the country.

The NGO is developing an E-Academy initiative online where deaf students can achieve their academic goals through a mobile-based application. To achieve its vision of breaking communication barriers between the deaf and the abled society, the organisation has developed a dedicated mobile application called DEF ISL which will provide sign language translations for English words and help non-deaf people socialise with their disabled counterparts. This app contains over 5000 words and is garnering praises from the deaf community.

T K M Sandeep who established the foundation in 2009 is is also providing an opportunity to work and earn for people who are specially abled. For its gestures to the society, the foundation has won Corona Yodha Samman Award from Youngistaan Foundation.

"As our city lacks special colleges and universities, people are not taught their sign language for communication which push them behind and we are trying to fill that gap by teaching them a language for communication," says Maitreyi, a communications staff of the Foundation. Students get degrees along with communication and job skills. The NGO has placed a lot of students in Amazon, KFC, TCS and other mainstream jobs. Even during the lockdown, the NGO reached out to the students through virtual classes.

Located in Secunderabad, the foundation has helped 152 hearing impaired people in the city. It has presence in 9 more State capitals in the country, serving 375 hearing impaired every year. The Foundation also funds a "Talking Hands" restaurant where the hearing impaired persons are employed.