Sign language is a medium of communication for and with deaf people. Visual cues such as hand gestures, gestures, facial expressions and body movements are used for sign language around the world. There are over 300 different sign languages, each with some unique symbols.
September 23 is celebrated every year as International Sign Language Day. The date was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2017 during its 72nd session to celebrate the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) on 23 September 1951. Below, we take a look at Indian Sign Language. And discuss why we should learn it.
History of Indian Sign Language
Indian Sign Language (ISL) has evolved over the last century and has been taught since 2001. According to the BBC, around 700 Indian schools teach sign language. The ISL has its own unique grammar and gestures, but there are some regional differences.
It was Sibaji Panda, a deaf teacher, who created and introduced the first formal training course in ISL at the Ali Yawar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities (AYJNISHD) in 2001. Panda is a founding member of Indian Sign. Language Teachers Association (ISLTA) and Indian Sign Language Interpreters Association (ISLIA).
In 2011, the Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment helped establish the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). However, this center was closed and re-established as a Society in 2015 under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE), Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
Why should you learn ISL?
There is a general lack of awareness in India about sign languages even among the members of the deaf community. Many parents do not know how to communicate with their deaf children. Often, deaf people are ridiculed or ignored by those who can hear.
Learning ISL will help bridge these gaps and create sensitivity towards the deaf community and their culture. Currently, there are less than 300 ISL certified interpreters, and more are urgently needed. ISL visual dictionaries are also available to help us learn the language better.
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