Conference on quality edu for deaf organised by hearing impaired to be held in Hry from Dec 10

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, a two-day international conference on providing quality education for the deaf which is organized and led by educators who themselves are hearing impaired will be held in Haryana's Rohtak from December 10. The conference is being organized 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 organized 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 be part of this conference, she said adding, the event was recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

Kaur further said, "Experts in education for the hearing impaired who themselves are suffering from such disability will train sign language trainers. I think no one can better describe and explain sign language than them." Pallavi, who is a project planning manager at HWSPHI, said every country has its 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 organization in the country working for the development of children with hearing impairment.

It has been working since 1971 in Haryana and neighboring states towards education, skill development and rehabilitation of persons with speech and hearing impairment.