International Day for Sign Languages celebrated

By Afshan S. Khan
September 24, 2021

Islamabad : National Special Education Centre for Hearing Impaired Children H-9/4 celebrated International Day for Sign Languages. The centre caters to the educational and rehabilitation needs of 700 hearing impaired students enrolled from Nursery to B.A. It is a Government institution of Directorate General of Special Education, Ministry of Human Rights.

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The Parents Teachers Association is a volunteer body of the centre, which takes up initiatives along centre administration for welfare of the Hearing Impaired students in terms of financial, psycho-social and capacity building. Since 2018, when United Nations declared 23rd September as International Day for Sign Languages, it is celebrated by Parents Teachers Association along the centre’s administration with endeavour to make the children with special needs felt recognized and joyful on their identity in little but meaningful achievements. A colourful event with reduced participants due to COVID-19 SOPs was held at multi-purpose hall of the centre here on Thursday.

The guests were received by academic incharges of boys wing, girls wing and college wing. There was entire week of colourful activities held for celebrating International week of the Deaf 20th-25th September 2021. This year the theme introduce by the World Federation of Deaf is “We sign for Human Rights” which implies the need of learning and respecting sign language by all the members of the society to ensure the right of communication and inclusion to Deaf people.

The programme began with national anthem presented by patriotic Deaf students in sign language, recitation from the holy Quran by hard of hearing college student Syed Ali Raza Kazmi, Naat presented by social case worker Mrs. Rukhsana Ameen, welcome address by Senior Audiologist Dr. Irfan, orientation presentation by programme coordinator Naureen Altaf, messages in sign language from leading Deaf organizations of Pakistan including the official representative in World Federal of the Deaf. Sir Irfan Mumtaz Chairman Pakistan Association of Deaf, Azima Dhanjee from ConnectHear, Sheikh Jawad Ahmed from AbbayKhao and Faizan Jillani from Limited Liability Company Texas USA communicated with students via video messages in sign language, the function also hosted few passed out deaf students who shared their success stories in life and motivated students to focus on studies and be proud of sign language. These students include Rabiya jamshed and Kamran Lashari. The Deaf teacher Mrs. Zahida sultana signed about need of more and more Deaf educationalists to teach the Deaf.

Atif RGM F-6 branch of KFC also spoke about his heartening and learning experience with Deaf employees at KFC branch Islamabad. Director environment, Regional Environmental Directorate F-9 Park Rana Kashif Nazeer also attended the event to encourage the Deaf students towards healthy activities like plantation and gardening.

Past Directors and teachers of the centre also attended the event and their long lasting impact on the lives of the deaf students was applauded.

The Director of the center Dr. Shahbaz Khalid Ranjha expressed his happiness to host this colourful event in collaboration with Parent teachers Association. Officers from Directorate General of Special Education were also invited to share the achievements and inspirations of Deaf students. Scholars from universities, philanthropist and media persons were also among invitees. The programme coordinator Mrs. Naureen Altaf who is a Govt. officer of the center and also the first Ph.D scholar in Pakistan to do research on Deaf culture. She in her presentation emphasized on the need of propagating sign language as a subject and also to bring forward the concerns faced by deaf community in day to day life.

Students boys and girls presented an emotional and thought provoking performance on the theme of IDSL 2021 which is ‘We sign for Human Rights’.

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