Best Teacher awardee gives new lease of life to hearing impaired

Tirupati: The hardships he faced to bring up his hearing impaired child saw a father become a champion for the cause of other such children in Chittoor district. N Ravanappa, a retired teacher with State Best Teacher award, faced many problems to see his son N Surya Theja, who was born with hearing defects to become near normal. His tireless efforts coupled with his sons' sheer determination made the differently-abled successful in life. He is now working as a lab technician in Renigunta PHC leading a happy life.

Ravanappa, who hailed from Kadiri in Ananthapur district, shifted his family to Tirupati in 1996 for the sake of his beloved son Theja's education in TTD-run SV Deaf and Dumb School, where he completed SSC. He formed a group of parents of hearing-impaired children to take up various issues like education, speech therapy and also providing hearing aids etc. to help the children become near normal.

The vibrant group along with many service-minded people in the city acted as a catalyst for establishing Sravanam Project with advanced facilities by TTD for hearing impaired children below 5 years for early detection of the defect in children for treatment. Not lagging, his wife Malleswari and daughter Sahitya also supporting Ravanappa working for the betterment of hearing-impaired children for the past 20 years. As the hearing impaired have no institute to continue their study after SSC in Tirupati, Ramanapa along with many associations working for the differently-abled children represented to TTD officials resulting in the TTD upgrading its school for deaf and dumb to offer Intermediate course with two groups HEC and CEC.

Srinivasa Rao Principal of the college `Unnathi' run by Hyderabad-based NGO `Sweekar Upakaar,' who is supporting Ravanappa for the college education of hearing impaired children from Tirupati, said Ravannappa was instrumental in providing the much needed education for dozens hearing impaired in Hyderabad, giving them a new lease of life, revealing Ravanappa services to hearing impaired. Speaking to The Hans India, Ravanappa, who also served as Hearing Impaired Children' Parents Association for over 10 years, said he would continue his struggle for setting up a separate college with job-oriented vocational course for the hearing impaired. This would go a long way in ensuring them to stand on their own legs.