In a first-of-its-kind initiative, a two-day international conference on providing quality education for the deaf which is organised and led by educators who themselves are hearing impaired will be held in Haryana’s Rohtak from December 10.
The conference is being organised by the Haryana Welfare Society for Persons with Speech and Hearing Impairment (HWSPHI) in association with the University of Central Lancashire, UK. The State University of Performing and Visual Arts is partnering in the event.
“This is the first-of-its-kind conference organised in India which is completely deaf-led and focuses on identifying the key challenges and coming up with solutions towards quality education,” HWSPHI Vice-President and Chairman Sharanjeet Kaur said.
Experts on education for the hearing-impaired from India, the UK, the USA, Uganda and Canada will attend the conference. Approximately 150 people from across the nation are expected to a be part of this conference, she said adding, the event was recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). Kaur further said, “Experts in education for the hearing impaired who themselves are suffering drom such disability will train sign language trainers. I think no one can better describe and explain sign language then them.” Pallavi, who is a project planning manager at HWSPHI, said every country has their own sign language which is based on that nation’s tradition and it will be for the first time that so many sign languages of the different countries will be expressed and interpreted in a conference in India.
There will be many stimulating brainstorming sessions and panel discussions in the conference, she said, adding it also carries Continuous Rehabilitation Education (CRE) points which are mandatory for special educators and rehabilitation professionals.
The Haryana Welfare Society for Persons with Speech and Hearing Impairment is perhaps one of the largest and oldest organisation in the country working for development of children with hearing impairment. It has been working since 1971 in Haryana and neighbouring states towards education, skill development and rehabilitation of persons with speech and hearing impairment.
