Learn to sign

Thanks to modern inventions and practices, having a disability is no longer something which holds people back. However, some practices in our country still make things unnecessarily difficult for differently-abled people. There is a significant percentage of people with speaking and hearing impairments in Pakistan. They use sign language to communicate but, sadly, it is not widely taught or even recognised by most people, including in critical sectors like healthcare and law enforcement. There is also no unified curriculum for sign language learners at any educational level in Pakistan. This makes it very hard for people with disabilities to communicate effectively and increases risk of discrimination, denying them access to basic rights, information and opportunities.

I urge the relevant authorities to take action and make sign language more accessible to people with or without disabilities. This can be done by introducing training programmes in educational institutions and media institutes should promote sign language by hiring interpreters to make our society more empathetic and inclusive.

Syeda Arfa Ali

Karachi