More Bengalureans are learning to use sign language

The growing call for inclusion in education and at the workplace is inspiring more able-bodied persons to learn Indian Sign
Language (ISL).

Mostly corporate companies, schools and colleges are coming forward for ISL training, NGOs working with persons with disabilities in Bengaluru told Metrolife. They offer a mix of offline and online training — some paid; some free.

EnAble India trains 15 corporate companies on an average every year. The group size varies from 30 to 200. The demand for ISL training goes up in September. This month, they are training six companies. “Like any language, ISL has its own grammar and syntax. How quickly a person can learn ISL depends on their interest,” shares their associate manager Tushar Viradiya, who is a deaf person.

At GiftAbled, enrolments have gone up by at least 20% year after year, says Prarthana Prateek Kaul, cofounder of the 11-year-old non-profit. These sign language enthusiasts are between the ages of 17 and 50. They want to use the skill to offer career guidance to those with deafness, she says.

WinVinaya Foundation has taught the basics of ISL to around 4,000 people since its inception in 2016. “By the end of the 10 hour-course, many shed their misconceptions about persons with hearing and speech impairments. One of them is that speaking slowly helps the deaf read lips better,” says cofounder Seethalakshmi Kuppuraj.

The Inclusion Movement sees a turnout of 90 to 110, mostly Gen Z, at their sign language learning meetups in Cubbon Park every month. The footfall used to be 10-20 per session in 2016 when it started. 

Cofounder Vishnu Soman says, “Many want to communicate with their deaf batchmates. Some are curious about the language. A few students want to use sign language for ‘talking’ in the class without getting pulled up by their teachers.”

Music interpretation for deaf patrons on rise

Roughly 50 deaf persons attended a dhol performance at Rangoli Art Centre on M G Road on Sunday. Two dhol artistes were accompanied by a sign language interpreter each.

Vishnu Soman, whose organisation hosted the show, says, “There are varying levels of deafness in the deaf community and many deaf persons are curious about music. Interpreters help to communicate the rhythm and emotions of a song or an instrumental piece, through signing and body movements, in real-time.” He says performance interpretation for the deaf community is on the rise. This year, British rock band Coldplay’s Singapore concert went viral because it featured sign language interpreters. In 2020, deaf ISL interpreter Hardeep Singh signed the lyrics to Indian rapper Spitfire’s verses from ‘Vartalap’. In 2016, Dutch DJ Martin Garrix performed ‘Concert for the Deaf’, a show featuring walls covered in speaker cones and vibrating floors.

“All performances, even poetry, at the India Inclusion Summit, an annual event, are interpreted,” notes Soman.