Indian sign language centre should be autonomous: Deaf community

Members of the National Association of the Deaf on Tuesday staged a protest against the government's decision to merge the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre with the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for Hearing Handicapped.

In a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NAD has also urged him to suspend the government's order with immediate effect, and establish ISLRTC as an autonomous institution, which was decided in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12).

The protestors demanded that that a committee of sign language experts from India and abroad be constituted to review the original draft proposed as part of the 11th five year plan.

They further demanded the involvement of deaf experts and academics, as well as representatives from the National Associations of the Deaf, in all processes of the establishment.

"There are 18 million deaf citizens who strongly protest this decision of the ministry to merge the much needed independent centre with an organisation that has a poor insight of the problems of the deaf community or their culture," said A.S. Narayanan, secretary of NAD

"We have been forced to come out on the streets to demand an end to this injustice being meted out to the deaf community."

He said that there was a serious shortage of sign language interpreters in the country.

"ISLRTC was included in the 11th five-year plan after persistent advocacy by NAD. From the very beginning, NAD has been demanding that the institute be developed as an autonomous Centre of excellence," he added.

He said that the government's decision to merge ISLRTC with Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped has agitates the deaf community as it would clearly hinder the independence of the centre.