Hearing them out: How Access Mantra helps the deaf with opportunities

From information on ISL classes, interpreters and legal/medical services to job listings and even matrimonial prospects, the Access Mantra website has it all

Eight years ago, in the run up to Independence Day, a video of a silent national anthem being sung by Indian children captured hearts and won awards. For a while, the deaf, estimated by the National Association of the Deaf to be around 18 million today, became a part of the national discourse and their demand for Indian Sign Language ISL to be recognised as an official language of India gained traction. Yet, as the world prepares to observe the International Day of Sign Languages on 23 September 2019, the community remains handicapped by the lack of supportive infrastructure, awareness