Deaf cultures and Sign Languages of the world: India (indigenous name for India)

Created 10 April 2000, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

East Indian flagDavid Bar-TzurEast Indian flag

map of India

Flag: World flag database.
Map: Maps.com - "search" for country, then "Digital Map Graphics").

For a quick, interesting resource for facts about this and other countries,
try Mystic Planet - The New Age directory of Planet Earth.

Note: A flag next to a link shows what language the website is in. If it is followed by this icon: (video camera: This links to a video), it is a video in that spoken language. A flag followed by Sign Language iconmeans it is in the sign language of that country. globe (international icon)Sign Language iconmeans there is International Gesture.

Assistive living devices Blogs and Vlogs CDs and videotapes Cochlear implants Deaf advocacy and politics
Deaf and social services Deafblind Deaf culture Deaf education and youth Deaf events
Deaf film Deaf health Deaf history and current events Deaf oppression & liberation Deaf people and the law
Deaf poetry Deaf sports & recreation Dictionaries for the Sign Languages of India Hearing gestures and "sign language" Interpreting agencies and organizations
Mailing lists Oral and deafened people Organizations Periodicals Religion & Deafness
Sign Languages of India

Assistive living devices

Nadu, T. (2005, January). Deaf expo from today. An international conference on Innovative Technologies and Education for the Deaf is scheduled from January 5 to 7 at the Indian Medicals Association (IMA) auditorium here.

Blogs and Vlogs

Bangalore Deaf. To develop new education program and ideas about hard and Hearing Impaired people very entertainmentable .This scope make very improvement and add colourful entertainmentfor Deaf Technical education and others.

CDs and videotapes

Cochlear implants

National Association of the Deaf.

golden marble bulletFreqently Asked Questions.

golden marble bullet(2000, October 6). NAD Position Statement on Cochlear Implants.

golden marble bulletThe Case for Oral Programming for Children with Cochler Implants.

Times of India. (5 January 2001). Cochlear implant can enable deaf to hear without an aid: Sa Souza.

tusharkatira's Videos.East Indian flagvideo camera: This links to a video

Deaf advocacy and politics

Deaf Reach. DEAF REACH was founded in 1991. We started with identifying potential leaders among the Deaf community in Hyderabad and empowering them with skills and training to better serve their community. Our activities include leadership training, adult education, computer training program, AIDS awareness, job placement, interpreter training, Sign Language training, Deaf awareness and counseling.

Ichalkaranji, D. DEAF WAY II- ANOTHER MILESTONE.

miksthemad. (2008, January 14). Ishara 2.East Indian flagSign Language iconFor the NGO Ishara, deaf Literacy in India.

National Association of the Deaf.

golden marble bulletAdvocacy and Policy Notes for 11th Five Year Plan.

golden marble bulletEvents. Click on various file icons.

thedeaf.way.org is composed of a group of committed young people working for the betterment of the deaf in India for the past 12 years. Started by Arun and Christina Rao parents of a deaf girl.

Deaf and social services

Delhi association of the Deaf.

golden marble bulletCounseling.

golden marble bulletRehabiliation.

IndiaDeafNews.org. Government - Benefits.

Deafblind

Deaf culture

Adenwalla, Dhun Dinaz: India. In: Cleve, John V. van (ed): Gallaudet encyclopedia of deaf people and deafness. Vol. 2. H-R. New York, NY [u.a.] : McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. (1987) - pp. 81-83.

annelieskusters. (2006, November 27).East Indian flagSign Language icon

golden marble bulletsujit tells about RYLA deaf way.

golden marble bulletsujit tells about RYLA deaf way2.

Berke, J. [Webmaster: Very extensive, valuable information.]

golden marble bulletDeaf Community - India.

golden marble bulletDeafness in India.

Deaf Way.

golden marble bulletClubs.

golden marble bulletEditorials.

golden marble bulletFAQs.

golden marble bulletThe "Hearing World" - A reality or a state of mind?

DiscoveringDeafWorld.com - India.

Helen Keller awards. Nisheeth Mehta employs the blind, the deaf and dumb to churn out telecom & auto components, even defence and space products, at his company.

IndiaDeafNews.org. Matrimonial.

International Bibliography of Sign Language - India.

Jamie and Michele vs. India. Jamie and Michele have rallied against all popular wisdom and good advice. Their visit to the indian continent should provide you with hours (if not minutes) of reading pleasures. Please sit back and relax as they selectively share their entanglements and stories of woe.

Jepson, Jill: Some aspects of the deaf experience in India. In: Sign Language Studies 20: 73 (1991) - pp. 453-459. Abstract: Indian deaf people and their hearing family members have explained, evaluated, and interpreted deafness, in narratives for me. Their narratives suggest a pattern in the ways some people come to accept deafness, to acknowledge it as a legitimate way of being, and to afford it a relatively normal status. This normalizing process is most commonly expressed as a realization that their own deafness or that of their family member is a natural thing or, in Hindi prakritic. The notion of 'naturalness' is complex and multifaceted. Several components of this notion and the role it plays in the lives of deaf people and their families are explored here.

Kumari, B. V. India. Greetings from B. Vanaja Kumari. I am 12 years old. I study in a free Residential School there our 18 teachers and 12 students. We are taught 5 subjects...

Mathur, M. (8 February 2003). Cupid strikes silent arrows.

Miles, M.

golden marble bulletHistorical Bibliography on Educational & Social Responses to Disabilities & Childhood in some Middle Eastern & South Asian Countries, from Antiquity to the 1950s. The present partially annotated bibliography of some 550 items lists a modest proportion of the Middle Eastern and South Asian historical sources and secondary literature on educational, social, legal, religious and ethnographic topics that have some bearing on disability and on the background of infancy, childhood, education etc, mostly in towns and cities.
golden marble bulletSigns of Development in Deaf South & South-West Asia: histories, cultural identities, resistance to cultural imperialism. The revised article offers evidence and hypotheses for a short cultural history of deaf people, culture and sign language in South Asia and South West Asia, using documents from antiquity through 2005. A new appendix shows 110 items on deafness and sign language in the Arab countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and South West Asia.

stained glass bulletProject Deaf India. (2006, September 26). Villages of the deaf in India.National flagSign Language iconAmerican doctor Raj Desai's shocking discovery -- villages of the deaf in his native India. A product of too little education, too much poverty.

stained glass bulletsargonic1. (2008, July 1). Armless Tech Support Dancer.video camera: This links to a videoWebmaster: This man is deaf and armless. You will see him signing with his feet.

Sign, gesture, & deafness in South Asian & South-West Asian histories: A bibliography with annotation and excerpts from India; also from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma / Myanmar, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Persia / Iran, & Sri Lanka.

The Hindu Business Line : Matrimonial meet for deaf on April 3 [,2005].

Vasishta, Madan / Sethna, Meher: Clubs for deaf people in India. In: Erting, Carol J. et al (eds): The deaf way : perspectives from the International Conference on Deaf Culture. Washington, DC : Gallaudet Univ. Press (1994) - pp. 532-534.

YouTube - murliagrawal's Channel.East Indian flagSign Language icon

Deaf education and youth

Adenwalla, Dhun Dinaz: Education of the deaf in India. In: Brelje, H. William (ed): Global perspectives on the education of the deaf. Hillsboro, Or. : Butte (1999) - pp. 181-189.

Badhit Bal Vikas Kendra. An organization for deaf and blind children. Webmaster: The links don't work but there is a contact address.

Bhagwat, V.: A study of the existing facilities for the education of the deaf in India in the light of the country's social and economic conditions. In: Feuchte, Herbert / et al. (eds): Proceedings of the International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Hamburg 1980. Vol. 1. Heidelberg : Groos (1982) - pp. 679-683.

Christian Deaf School in India. The school is located in South India, almost directly South of Bangalore, about 5 minutes drive from the little town of Kollegal, East of Mysore.

Deafchild India (DCI) was a 6-year phased programme sponsored by the Big Lottery (International). The project was based in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, one of 25 Indian states, with a population roughly equal to that of the UK. It benefitted not only deaf children directly, but also their, siblings, parents and teachers.

Deaf Way. Visit to a School for the Deaf in India.

Delhi Association of the Deaf. Education & training.

Deshmukh, D.

golden marble bullet(ed), (1997). Sign language and bilingualism in deaf education. Ichalkaranji, India : Deaf Foundation.

golden marble bullet(1995). The status of sign language in deaf education in India. In: Garretson, Mervin D. (ed): Deafness : Life and culture II. (A Deaf American Monograph; 45) Silver Spring, Md. : NAD - pp. 25-28.

golden marble bullet(1994). The status of sign language in deaf education in India. In: Signpost 7: 1 - pp. 49-52. Abstract: Information on the deaf community at Ichalkaranji, an educational institution in India, is provided. Personal efforts to introduce sign language are traced. An informal survey of current conditions in the Indian educational system is reported.

stained glass bulletIndia Deaf Expo 2007. An international conference on innovative technologies and education of the Deaf / Hard of Hearing. From 5 to 7 January 2007.

stained glass bulletIndiaDeafNews.org. School.

Matthes, Claudia / Walther, Ulrike: "Use signs and they'll get it easy". In: Das Zeichen 8: 29 (1994) - pp. 300-303.

Meher, Sethna / Vasishta, Madan / Zeshan, Ulrike: Implementation of Indian Sign Language in educational settings. In: Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal 15: 2 (2004) - pp. 15-39.

Miles, M.

golden marble bulletHistorical Bibliography on Educational & Social Responses to Disabilities & Childhood in some Middle Eastern & South Asian Countries, from Antiquity to the 1950s. The present partially annotated bibliography of some 550 items lists a modest proportion of the Middle Eastern and South Asian historical sources and secondary literature on educational, social, legal, religious and ethnographic topics that have some bearing on disability and on the background of infancy, childhood, education etc, mostly in towns and cities.
golden marble bulletSigns of Development in Deaf South & South-West Asia: histories, cultural identities, resistance to cultural imperialism. The revised article offers evidence and hypotheses for a short cultural history of deaf people, culture and sign language in South Asia and South West Asia, using documents from antiquity through 2005. A new appendix shows 110 items on deafness and sign language in the Arab countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and South West Asia.

Nadu, T. (2005, January). Deaf expo from today. An international conference on Innovative Technologies and Education for the Deaf is scheduled from January 5 to 7 at the Indian Medicals Association (IMA) auditorium here.

National Association of the Deaf.

golden marble bulletHighly Qualified Teachers Position Paper.

golden marble bullet(2003). IDEA White Paper.

golden marble bulletN.A.D Consultation on Deaf Education.

golden marble bulletNational Association of the Deaf Education Position Paper (Draft Copy).

golden marble bulletResponsibility for Cost of Communications Access Services for Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing at Colleges and Universities.

NDTV. (2008, February 11). Reaching out: Lending the deaf an ear.video camera: This links to a videoA beautiful Sunday turned out to be for the 300 odd children and parents with hearing disability. For the first time in the country, the International Deaf Children's Society - India Chapter organised a family day for children with hearing disability their parents. All this to create an awareness amongst parents that communication for deaf children is a vital growth for their child to grow normally.

Parasnis, I.

golden marble bullet/ DeCaro, James J. / Raman, Marie L.: Attitudes of teachers and parents in India toward career choices for deaf and hearing people. In: American Annals of the Deaf 141: 4 (1996) - pp. 303-308. Abstract: The attitudes of teachers and parents of deaf children in India toward career choices for deaf and hearing people were investigated with respondents rating the suitability of eight professions for an imagined group of equally qualified deaf and hearing advisees. The attitudes of parents and teachers in India were found to be similar to those reported in previous studies conducted in the United States, Italy, England, and South Africa and showed that the hearing status of the imagined advisees selectively influenced the respondents' ratings of their suitability for those professions. These results suggested that differences in the availability of educational or technological support for deaf people do not necessarily lead to differences in attitudes regarding career choices for deaf people.

golden marble bullet/ Samar, Vincent J. / Mandke, Kalyani: Deaf adults' attitudes toward career choices for deaf and hard of hearing people in India. In: American Annals of the Deaf 141: 5 (1996) - pp. 333-339. Abstract: This study investigated the expressed attitudes of deaf people in India toward career choices for deaf and hearing people. Deaf adults from Pune, India rated the suitability of 12 professions for deaf and hearing people and gave written comments on the suitability of any other professions they could list. The results, in general, were consistent with those of other studies in the United States, England, Italy, South Africa, and India with hearing teachers and parents of deaf children, which indicated that the hearing status of imagined deaf and hearing advisees selectively influenced attitudes toward the suitability of certain professions. Some differences in profession preferences also emerged indicating that the deaf respondents' criteria for career choice appeared to be primarily based on the use of hearing, speech, and visual skills required for a particular career. There was some suggestion that culturally specific factors played a role in shaping attitudes. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the attitudes of deaf people.

Rao, I. (2003, December 19). Inclusive Education in the Indian Context. Education of children with disabilities in India, as all over the world, has moved from segregation, special schools to integrated education. There is a national level central government sponsored scheme called Integrated Education of Disabled Children (IEDC). This project was started in 1980s and designed based on the experience gathered from a UNICEF assisted pilot project called PIED (project on integrated education of disabled children).

Samar, Vincent J. / Bettger, Jeffrey / Sathe, Kamal: Does deafness lead to enhancement of visual spatial cognition in children? Negative evidence from deaf nonsigners. In: Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 1: 2 (1996) - pp. 145-152. Abstract: This study investigated whether deafness contributes to enhancement of visual spatial cognition independent of knowledge of a sign language. Congenitally deaf school children in India who were born to hearing parents and were not exposed to any sign language, and matched hearing controls, were given a test of digit span and five tests that measured visual spatial skills. The deaf group showed shorter digit span than the hearing group, consistent with previous studies. Deaf and hearing children did not differ in their performance on the visual spatial skills test, suggesting that deafness per se may not be a sufficient factor for enhancement of visual spatial cognition. Early exposure to a sign language and fluent sign skills may be the critical factors that lead to differential development of visual spatial skills in deaf people.

Shettle, A. (2004, Spring). Deaf Children with Additional Disabilities in Developing Countries, India.

The Hindu. (September 26, 2002). Full of life, with silence for company. A noiseless world has not dampened the spirit of the youngsters who reside in this Special school for the Deaf. Despite their handicap, they live it up. NEELIMA MENON on how the children are coping with noble assistance. Day of the Deaf falls tomorrow.

Victor, P.: Pre-school education and parent counselling for integration in India. In: Feuchte, Herbert / et al. (eds): Proceedings of the International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Hamburg 1980. Vol. 2. Heidelberg : Groos (1982) - pp. 152-166.

Zeshan, Ulrike / Panda, Sibaji: The acquisition of English literacy skills by deaf adults in a bilingual classroom setting in India. Poster (cancelled). In: TISLR 8 Barcelona, September 30 - October 2. Programme and Abstracts. (International Conference on Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research; 8) (2004) - pp. 212-213. Abstract: The area of language development, language acquisition, and literacy skills in various groups of deaf people has always been a major concern for educators as well as applied linguistics. In a pilot study conducted in Mumbai, India, we look at the development of English language skills in the form of reading and writing in a bilingual classroom setting. Theoretical considerations centre around characteristics of the language acquisition process in this particular situation, the role of phonological coding in the acquisition of reading and writing, and consequences of the use of Indian Sign Language (including fingerspelling) in the classroom.

Deaf events

Deaf Way. Events.

IndiaDeafNews.org. Events.

Deaf film

Coalition for Movie Captioning. (2001, January 16). Guidelines for the Portrayal of Deaf People in the Media. Quoted from the Australian Association of the Deaf.

HQSupreme. (2008, August 4). KoshishBritish & American flag,East Indian flag,East Indian flagSign Language icon("An Attempt") is considered a landmark movie in the history of Indian cinema. It stars Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri, directed by Gulzar. The heart warming movie depicts a deaf and mute couple and their conflicts, pain and struggle to carve out a niche for themselves in a desensitized society. (1972)

kamikami786. (2008, March 28). IQBAL - MAULA.video camera: This links to a videoA young deaf and dumb man tries to fulfil his dream of playing cricket for the national team in this feelgood Indian drama. Iqbal tells the story of Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a deaf-mute boy, who dreams of playing cricket for India. However, he is discouraged by his father who thinks that Iqbal's daydreams are a waste of time. Instead, he wants Iqbal to help him tend to the crops and become a farmer like him, which would be a stable profession.

sciencerulez1's Videos.East Indian flagSign Language iconThis contains the entire film Iqbal in 14 parts.

varun760. (2007, July 17). A day in the life of India - A Short Film by Varun Agarwal.East Indian flagSign Language icon

Deaf health

Deaf Way. Engineered cells. LONDON - Within the next five years, scientists may be able to engineer and replace damaged cells in the ears of deaf people to help them hear again. The engineered cells will work in tandem with cochlear ear implants to restore hearing to long-term deaf people, Professor Matthew Holley, an expert on sensory physiology at the University of Bristol, told a London medical conference on Monday.

National Associaiton of the Deaf. (2003, December). New White Paper Released on Mental Health Systems and the Deaf.

noahstreet. (2006, September 26). Villages of the Deaf in India (WorldBizWatch.co documentary).video camera: This links to a video(long, high rez) American doctor Raj Desai's shocking discovery -- villages of the deaf in his native India. A product of too little education, too much poverty.

Project Deaf India. Dr. Desai conceived "PROJECT DEAF INDIA." There was an epidemic of German Measles in the U.S.A. in 1964 and Dr. Desai's daughter was born deaf. Sixty four thousand children were also born deaf as a result of the epidemic. Most of these were due to pregnant women exposed to the virus in the first trimester of pregnancy. Today Dr. Desai's daughter is married, a mother, a professional woman and holds a Master's degree from Gallaudet University, the only university in the world that imparts bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees to deaf students. Needless to say, her's is a success story. Dr. Desai is driven by the desire to provide the deaf and hard of hearing children in India with the same opportunity and access to education and employment that his daughter had. Consequently, two years ago, he joined Newport Balboa Rotary Club and Rotary Mysore in South India to initiate this challenging project. Due to the cooperation of these two Rotary Clubs, he was able to obtain a matching grant of financial support from the Rotary International.

Deaf history and current events

DeafTODAY.

golden marble bullet(2005, May 31). Deaf and dumb duo run tea kiosk in Rajasthan town. What started as a necessity five years ago has now become an inspiring story of two men who against all odds are successfully running a small kiosk at the railway station at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. Pawan Meena and Lalit Narayan Singh, deaf and dumb by birth, are popular among the customers who are more than happy visiting their stall because they get a hospitable environment apart from tasty tea the two prepare.

golden marble bullet(2005, May 7). Deaf and dumb protest against 'occupation' of their office. Karan Kumar, a deaf and dumb, ekes out his living from the click of a camera. The annexe of his house makes up for a studio where from he receives orders to get pictures of marriage parties prepared. He was on a silent protest today along with many other deaf and dumb. They did'nt raise any slogans but the police were on the spot to prevent anything untoward from happening.

golden marble bullet(2005, April 8). Deaf-and-mute protest, allege custodial torture. A group of deaf-and-mute people demonstrated outside the Delhi Police Headquarters here today alleging that a youth with speech and hearing disabilities had been tortured in police custody after being picked up on charges of vehicle theft and robbery.

golden marble bullet(2005, April 4). Indian deaf cricket team to strengthen peace process: Minister. Minister for Special Education Monday said that the visit of Indian deaf cricket team to Pakistan would promote the on-going peace process between the two countries.

golden marble bullet(2005, March 5). MLC demands school for deaf, dumb of Dhadkai. No special school for deaf and dumb was still established for more than seventy deaf and dumb persons in village Dhadkai of tehsil Gandoh of Doda district. The social welfare minister in a written reply to the query rose by Muhammad Iqbal Bhat, MLC Doda camp Gandoh, admitted this in the legislative council.

golden marble bullet(2004, December 13). Dance to a silent beat. Many years ago Astad Deboo took a ship, travelling as a stowaway, setting off on a journey of exploration that still continues. When he hitch-hiked around the globe, performing for his living, he absorbed the richness of various cultures and learned the different vocabularies of dance and movement. Those lessons have come to benefit audiences. And, more importantly, enrich the hearing impaired dancers who work and perform with him and who have been given a new voice and language.

golden marble bullet(2004, December 12). Sounds of silence. Emerging from the wings, for 130 hearing impaired participants in this competition, the stage held immense possibilities. "No speech allowed" that was one of the unusual rules at this unique play competition. But it wasn't until that the actors came on stage that you would realise just how important the rule was. For at the "22nd Annual Drama Competition for Deaf Children" all participants were hearing impaired, some partially but many entirely.

golden marble bullet(2004, December 11). Love in the time of darkness. Four years ago, Delhi-based journalist Jairaj and Delhi High Court advocate Chanchal Thakur founded Aadharshila, an organisation that aims to educate and rehabilitate deaf-blind children.

golden marble bullet(2004, December 8). Audience left awestruck as deaf and dumb presents magic. A deaf and dumb magician, Ravichandra from Hyderabad, mesmerised the audience here and in Salalah during the annual day celebrations organised by the Telugu wings of the Indian Social Club.

golden marble bullet(2004, December 7). Deaf students in dance training. 'I work with them not because I sympathise with them. I work with these people, like I do with any other normal person', Astad Deboo, pioneer of modern dance in India, said on his experience working with the deaf people.

golden marble bullet(2004, November 19). Here words are redundant, only deeds. A group of hearing impaired students completed a year's vocational course recently. This course imparts training in computers, typewriting and English language to students who are unable to complete their standard X and XII.

golden marble bullet(2004, November 19). Strength of Character. Have you ever imagined how it is to be born deaf and dumb? Being unable to hear the sound of your own choice or hear the birds chirping, unable to hear the sounds of thunder or hum a song sung by your favorite singer...

golden marble bullet(2004, September 27). Centre for deaf and dumb to come up soon. Under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, a formal education centre for the deaf and dumb children will soon be started by the district administration, revealed Deputy Commissioner Rajneesh Kumar here today.

golden marble bullet(2004, September 16). Deaf and dumb lovers posing problems for policemen. Two deaf and dumb lovers who ran away from their houses posed a serious problem before the police who found it difficult to converse with them. The incident took place in Nanded village in Barwani district where a youth Bhar Singh and Gouribai, both deaf and dumb, fell in love. Acting on a plan, both ran away from their houses on September 5.

golden marble bullet(2004, September 16). Standard sign language for the deaf in India soon. In the absence of a standard sign language for the deaf in India, one of the oldest associations of the deaf in the country has taken it upon itself to formulate a comprehensive set of symbols that could be adopted as the standard sign language of the country.

golden marble bullet(2004, September 1). Escort Of Deaf And Dumb Person To Get Train Fare Concession. The Ministry of Railways has issued orders granting concession in train fares to one escort accompanying a totally deaf and dumb person on single journey tickets and season tickets from September 6, 2004.

golden marble bullet(2004, August 23). The sound of success. The melody of music may remain unknown to them, the rhythm of the beats may escape them, yet little stops these hearing impaired dancers from a performance full of gusto. For this they have one person to thank - Shilpa Datar, a Pune-based Kathak danseuse, who has been imparting classical dancing skills to hearing impaired students at the Red Cross Society's School for the Deaf.

golden marble bullet(2004, August 18). Serving its ilk, silently. It was a typical meeting of an Association. There were the speakers, too. But there was a distinct difference which highlighted their mental strength. The speeches delivered were by way of signs and gestures and not words. It was the annual general meeting of The Association For the Deaf which incidentally is celebrating its silver jubilee this year.

Delhi Association of the Deaf. Early architects. See also Takes shape: Dawn of new era, Turning point. Golden era: Grant-in-aid, education & training. Golden Jubilee (Oct 2002): Messages, National seminar, Miss Deaf contest. Achievers.

India Deaf News.

Miles, M.

golden marble bulletHistorical Bibliography on Educational & Social Responses to Disabilities & Childhood in some Middle Eastern & South Asian Countries, from Antiquity to the 1950s. The present partially annotated bibliography of some 550 items lists a modest proportion of the Middle Eastern and South Asian historical sources and secondary literature on educational, social, legal, religious and ethnographic topics that have some bearing on disability and on the background of infancy, childhood, education etc, mostly in towns and cities.
golden marble bulletSigns of Development in Deaf South & South-West Asia: histories, cultural identities, resistance to cultural imperialism. The revised article offers evidence and hypotheses for a short cultural history of deaf people, culture and sign language in South Asia and South West Asia, using documents from antiquity through 2005. A new appendix shows 110 items on deafness and sign language in the Arab countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and South West Asia.

National Association of the Deaf. Events. Click on various file icons.

Project History.

The Hindu. (2006, May 20). A unique initiative for the deaf. To facilitate meetings between young boys and girls with hearing impairment so that they are able to find their life partners, the Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women on Friday organised a "Pranay Milan Sammelan" in which over 200 young persons with such disabilities participated.

The Hindu Business Line. (2005, March 29). Matrimonial meet for deaf on April 3. LENDING a helping hand to the hearing challenged in finding a life partner, the Deaf Way Foundation is organising a `Vivaha Vedika for the deaf' here on April 3. Encouraged by good response to matchmaking meets held at national level, the Foundation has decided to hold one in Hyderabad.

Deaf oppression & liberation

Deaf Way.

golden marble bulletDRG News.

golden marble bulletSign Speak: Empowerment.

National Association of the Deaf.

golden marble bullet5 EASY STEPS TO MAKE GENERAL ELECTIONS 2004 DISABLED-FRIENDLY.

golden marble bulletAccess for Moviegoers Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Late-Deafened.

golden marble bulletGender Policy for The National Association of the Deaf.

Deaf people and the law

National Association of the Deaf.

golden marble bulletNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON 'DISABILITY AND THE LAW' FOR PERSONS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENTS.

golden marble bulletPolicy on Sign Language Interpreters in Courts of Law.

golden marble bulletPWD ACT, 1995 - THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Deaf performing arts

A profile of Nirupama Kaul: performer extraordinaire.

IndiaDeafNews.org. Events - Culture.

krishnavaani. (2008, July 29). C.RAVICHANDRA MAGICIAN.video camera: This links to a videoYOUNG TALENTED UPCOMING ARTIST MIMO MAGICIAN C.RAVICHANDRA BAGGED A PRIZE IN INTERNATIONAL MAGIC COMPETITIONS FOR DEAF AND DUMB... THIS CLIP IS FROM HIS PERFORMANCE AT ANANTAPUR, A.P., INDIA.

navynavy1985. (2008, April 2). Deaf Bhangra in Punjab, India.video camera: This links to a video

navynavy1985. (2008, April 2). smritiweb.com >> Poetry for the deaf.

Deaf poetry

destinatusbalaji. (2007, October 21). The Mute poet is a 1 minute short film putting forward the pride of a deaf-mute person about "his own language", in the form of a poem. This film was screened at the FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR along with nine other films from India. And was also screened in ABILITY FEST 2007, INDIA and received a JURY SPECIAL MENTION.

Deaf sports & recreation

Delhi Association of the Deaf. Sports promotion.

Satyamurty, K. (31 March 2002). Achieving milestones, in silence. Ancil, who was born deaf and dumb, is a versatile sportsman for whom cricket, athletics, volleyball, and football are a passion.

The Hindu. (2002, October 24). Strokes of success. SPORTS IS a great leveller, especially for those with physical and mental disabilities. It acts as a catalyst that propels them to join the mainstream of life with the rest. Badminton has been a major sports discipline that enjoys good patronage among those with hearing impairment and the game that the deaf play also enjoys a high standard .

virbhadrarathod. (2007, November 18). Deaf cricket association Vadodara.

Dictionaries for the Sign Languages of India

Bar-Tzur, D. Indigenous signs for cities: India.

Fingeralphabet Indien (Indian fingerspelling).

International bibliography of sign language - Indian Sign Language dictionary.

reticentbloke's Videos.East Indian flagSign Language icon

Sign Media Inc. (ed): Signs around the world. India. Burtonsville, MD : SMI 1990 (Video 30min).

SignPuddle. Dictionary India.

Signs around the world: India. Individual country videotapes feature native Deaf male and female signers from that country. Each tape is separated into three sections which include personal introduction, vocabulary, and narrative.

Vasishta, M.

golden marble bullet(1987). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to the Calcutta variety of Indian Sign Language. (GRI Monograph Series; 6) Washington,DC : Gallaudet Univ. - 162 p.

golden marble bullet(1986). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to the Bombay variety of Indian Sign Language. (GRI Monograph Series; 5) Washington,DC : Gallaudet Univ. - 159 p.

golden marble bullet(1985). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to the Bangalore variety of Indian Sign Language. (GRI Monograph Series; 4) Washington,DC : Gallaudet Univ. - 158 p.

golden marble bullet(1980). / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to Indian Sign Language (focus on Delhi). College Park, Md. : American ed. - 176 p.

golden marble bullet(1978). / Woodward, James / Wilson, Kirk L.: Sign languages in India: Regional variations within the deaf populations. In: Indian Journal of Applied Linguistics 4: 2 - pp. 66-74.

Hearing gestures and "sign language"

Hughes, R. M.

golden marble bulletThe gesture language of the Hindu dance. New York, NY : Arno Pr. 1979 - xviii, 100 p.

golden marble bulletThe gesture language of the Hindu dance. New York : Blom 1964 - xviii, 100 p.: La Meri, pseud.

Phillot, D.C.: A note on the mercantile sign language of India. In: Journal and Proceedings, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, N.S. III. (1907) - pp. 333-334.

Shukla, H.L.: Semiotica Indica: encyclopaedic dictionary of body-language in Indian art and culture. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Aryan Books Intern. 1994 - 315-683 p.

Interpreting agencies and organizations

IndiaDeafNews.org. Sign Language - Interpreter.

Mailing lists

Hare Krishna welfare for the Deaf. This is a open moderated group for sending messages, invitations and news related to the worldwide activities of Hare Krishna Welfare for the Deaf - the educational, cultural and spiritual welfare of the deaf under the guidance of Shri Anantadev Das. This is to send spiritual messages from the VEDIC literatures like Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Healthy discussions regarding all aspects of life and religions are welcome.

signinterpretersindia. This is a club of Resource of Interpreters for the hearing impaired persons. Those who are serving for the hearing impaired can share the information on interpreting and views on the communication options available to the "World of Silence". This groups also welcomes interpreters to present further resources and information on sign language and improving the interpretation skills.

Oral and deafened people

Organizations

Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped. Clinical Services, Manpower Development, Outreach and Extension Service, Research, Material Development, Socio-Economic Rehabilitation, DDRC, Information and Documentation, Information on Hearing Impairment and Rehabilitation, Monthly Report, Slide show on Services, Educational Services.

Delhi Association of the Deaf. Organizational profile (Formation, registration, sports promotion), Takes shape (Early architects, dawn of a new era, turning point), Golden era (Grant-in-aid, education & training), Golden Jubilee (Messages, national seminar, Miss Deaf contest), Present management (Organizational setup, flow chart), Present activities (Education & training, rehabilitation, counseling), Projects in pipeline (Building construction, Sign Language development, international exposition on Deafness, achievers, help us, contact us.)

Family Care Foundation Newsletter. (7/1997). Deaf Reach, Hyderabad, India.

National Association of the Deaf. N.A.D's Aims: To promote the rights and quality of life of deaf and hard of hearing individuals in India. To foster a united front of deaf people across the different states of India. To promote equal rights at all levels and in all fields of life. To encourage the interaction of deaf people through meetings, at both national and regional levels, sports meetings and political rallies. Lobbying Government bodies and policy makers to ensure that the rights of deaf people are taken into account. Creating public awareness and educating others on the current issues and problems concerning deaf people. To ensure the empowerment of deaf people so that they are economically self-sufficient, educationally sound, and have their rightful place in society.

N.C.P.E.D.P. - Education > Directory > Institutes.

Tripolia Social service Hospital Patna in collaboration with the NIHH inaugurated the preschool and service center for the hearing handicapped on 6th Sept 1992. The service center caters to the needs of all hearing handicapped of all age groups.

World Federation of the Deaf membership information: All India Federation of the Deaf. Contact info only. Click on "F-I" and scroll down to the country name.

Periodicals

IndiaDeafNews.org. Journal.

The Deaf Way.

Religion & Deafness

Bittles, A. H., Sullivan, S. G., Zhivotovsky, L. A. (2004). Consanguinity, caste, and Deaf-Mutism in Punjab, 1921. The effects of religion, population sub-division and geography on the prevalence of deaf-mutism were investigated using information collected in the 1921 Census of Punjab. The total sample size was 9·36 million, and comprised data on thirteen Hindu castes, seventeen Muslim biraderis and two Sikh castes.

Ebenezer Fellowship of the Deaf brought all deaf and mute Christians from different denominations together for worship in Kerala, land known for its Christian tradition ever since the coming of St. Thomas, a great disciple of Jesus Christ in A.D. 52. First it was started in a rented building in 1989 and 1993 a small building was built for prayer and worship. Slowly it is spreading to different places by the grace of God.

Hare Krishna welfare for the Deaf. This is a open moderated group for sending messages, invitations and news related to the worldwide activities of Hare Krishna Welfare for the Deaf - the educational, cultural and spiritual welfare of the deaf under the guidance of Shri Anantadev Das. This is to send spiritual messages from the VEDIC literatures like Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Healthy discussions regarding all aspects of life and religions are welcome.

pastormcmanus. (2007, September 2.) GIRL BORN DEAF AND DUMB MIRACULOUSLY HEALED!!!!!!!! This girl's Dad brought her to many hospitals in India seeking help for his daughter but found none. He brought her to the Great Physician Jesus Christ and received an absolute miracle for his daughter.

Zeshan, U. Sign Language in Indo-Pakistan: A Description of a Signed Language.

Sign Languages of India

Aboh, Enoch / Pfau, Roland / Zeshan, Ulrike: When a wh-word is not a wh-word: The case of Indian Sign Language. In: Singh, Rajendra / Bhattacharya, Tanmoy (eds): The yearbook of south Asian languages and linguistics 2005. Berlin : Mouton de Gruyter (2006) - pp. 11-43.

Chauhan, D. S. (2002, December). Bridging the communication gap. A common Indian Sign Language for the deaf is needed now, says D S Chauhan.

Delhi Association of the Deaf. Sign Language development.

freddo80. (2008, January 5). Sign Language via Webcam.East Indian flagSign Language iconA friend of mine uses Indian sign language when communicating with deaf friends via a webcam.

IndiaDeafNews.org.

golden marble bulletSign Language - National.

golden marble bulletVideos.East Indian flagSign Language icon

Indian Sign Language: A language of India.

International Bibliography of Sign Language - Indian Sign Lnaguage.

Jepson, J. (1991).

golden marble bulletTwo sign languages in a single village in India. In: Sign Language Studies 20: 70 (1991) - pp. 47-59. Abstract: Languages more positively structured are relatively independent of context, complex in syntax, and have a lexicon of discrete, arbitrary, conventionalized signs. Languages more negatively structured are context-dependent, multi-channeled, and their signs have non-discrete, iconic, and ambiguous components. I have argued (Jepson, in press) that positive structuring in a language is related to the existence of a community of speakers who rely on the language as a major mode of communication. While both of the sign languages discussed here are negatively structured, one exhibits the rudiments of positive structuring, and the other does not. The existence of some degree of positive structuring in one of the languages may result from the fact that the signer's life is strongly embedded in a set of close relationships with family and lifelong friends, who form a tiny speech community, employing his form of sign language as a relatively important mode of communication. The lack of positive structuring in the other form of sign may result from that signer's marginal position in the village and his lack of family and close friends who can serve as a small speech community.

golden marble bulletUrban and rural sign languages. In: Language in Society 20: 1 (1991) - pp. 37-57.

Schroeder, Odd-Inge: Tegnsprog og de doves forhold på Sri Lanka. [Sign language and deaf people of Sri Lanka.]. In: Døves Tidskrift 38 (1986).

Sign, gesture, & deafness in South Asian & South-West Asian histories: A bibliography with annotation and excerpts from India; also from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma / Myanmar, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Persia / Iran, & Sri Lanka.

Signs around the world: India. Individual country videotapes feature native Deaf male and female signers from that country. Each tape is separated into three sections which include personal introduction, vocabulary, and narrative.

South Asian linguistics - Sign languages (All dialects). Lists 33 references for Sign Languages in India.

Vasishta, M.

golden marble bullet(2001). / Desai, Rajendra: Progress in the use of sign language in India. Paper presented at the Conference on Sign Linguistics, Deaf Education and Deaf Culture in Asia 17th - 19th December 2001. 2001 Manuscript. Abstract: Prior to 1975 there was no research on sign language in India, since then about 10 books on ISL and the accompanying research work in ongoing. More importantly, ISL is being taught in the classroom to hearing teachers, parents and professionals working with the deaf. Efforts are also underway to include ISL as part of the teacher training leading to 'teacher of the deaf certification'. This is a major step in India where until recently all schools were or claimed to be, oral. This presentation will help people understand the political and bureaucratic aspects that one faces in any change process in developing countries. It will also highlight the steps that will help people who are interested in sign language education in any country.

golden marble bullet(1987). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to the Calcutta variety of Indian Sign Language. (GRI Monograph Series; 6) Washington,DC : Gallaudet Univ. - 162 p.

golden marble bullet(1987). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: Indian Sign Language. In: Cleve, John V. van (ed): Gallaudet encyclopedia of deaf people and deafness. Vol. 3. S-Z,Index. New York, NY [u.a.] : McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. - pp. 79-81.

golden marble bullet(1986). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to the Bombay variety of Indian Sign Language. (GRI Monograph Series; 5) Washington,DC : Gallaudet Univ. - 159 p.

golden marble bullet(1985). / Woodward, James / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to the Bangalore variety of Indian Sign Language. (GRI Monograph Series; 4) Washington,DC : Gallaudet Univ. - 158 p.

golden marble bullet(1980). / DeSantis, Susan: An introduction to Indian Sign Language (focus on Delhi). College Park, Md. : American ed. - 176 p.

golden marble bullet(1978). / Woodward, James / Wilson, Kirk L.: Sign languages in India: Regional variations within the deaf populations. In: Indian Journal of Applied Linguistics 4: 2 - pp. 66-74.

golden marble bullet(1975). Pilot project for a comprehensive study of sign languages of India. Washington : Gallaudet College Manuscript.

Wikipedia. Indian Sign Language. or Indo-Pakistani Sign Language.

Woodward, J. C.

golden marble bullet(1993). The relationship of sign language varieties in India, Pakistan and Nepal. In: Sign Language Studies 22: 78 - pp. 15-22.

golden marble bullet(1993, Spring). The Relationship of Sign Language Varieties in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Recent research has shown that sign language varieties in India and Pakistan are related. This report examines the possible relationship of sign language varieties in India and Pakistan to those in Nepal by analyzing comparative lexical data from sign language varieties in the three countries.

YouTube - virbhadrarathod's Videos.East Indian flagSign Language icon

Zeshan, U.

golden marble bullet(2000). Gebärdensprachen des indischen Subkontinents. (Linguistic research forum; 4) München, Newcastle : Lincom Europa - 275 p.

golden marble bullet(1999). Perspective and context in Indopakistan Sign Language discourse. Paper presented at the 6th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference. Manuscript . Abstract: For a number of discourse types there is a convention of speaking from a first person perspective rather than a third person perspective. For example, when IPSL signers are asked to retell stories represented by a series of pictures, they will not start by saying 'The father is reading the paper and his son throws a ball at his head' (which is what speakers of German would typically do) but rather "I am reading the paper and my son throws a ball at my head". Similarly, explaining the meaning of a word or sign, for example the meaning of 'confession' they wont say 'when someone does something wrong and wants to talk about it' but rather 'I did something wrong and want to talk about it'. The discourse strategy of adopting a discourse participants' perspective is more general though and does not necessarily involve a first person pronoun. Moreover, there are a number of consequences for preferred sentence structures.

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