It was the innate urge in K Geetha to take up the cause of the hearing-impaired that led to the emergence of the Maharishi Vidya Mandir in 2000, of which she is the Project Director.

Armed with a PG degree in Rehabilitation Science and specialised training from the Netherlands in language skills for the deaf, Geetha took up the responsibility of maintaining the institution at K K Nagar.

An early intervention approach is needed for children with hearing disabilities. Since the stress is on audio skills, the auditory-verbal approach assumes much significance in training deaf children. Therefore, even children below the age of three years are admitted to the school.

This constitutes the pre-school section, where an assessment of the child’s level of grasping and intuition is taken up.

Once the child completes this stage, he is either sent to a regular school, or retained in the special school at Vidya Mandir itself, depending on the progress made.

At the pre-school level, children are exposed to visuals, along with hearing aids. The District Rehabilitation Office is approached when parents are unable to afford hearing aids.

Geetha says that the profoundly deaf children are put in the special school, where they remain till Standard X. Home visits are also undertaken if the child is too young to attend school, she adds.

The pre-school and special training programmes are a bundle of gesticulations and articulations, pertaining mainly to the movements of facial muscles and tongue twisting, which need personal care of both the teachers and the parents, says Geetha. A follow-up of the teaching methodology is essential at home, too, she says, adding that coaching classes are also held for the parents in this regard.

The school started off with just six students, and the number later rose to 30. At present, the school has about 60 students, with many residing on the school premises.

With regard to the society’s attitude towards deaf children, Geetha says that instead of just sympathising with them, social organisations should provide them exposure by inviting them to functions organised on various occasions. Likewise, she wants the talented children to be given an opportunity to display their skills.

Paediatricians can also play a major role by directing the hearing-impaired children to special schools, she says. They, too, can lead a normal life if a tripartite awareness, involving the public, government and parents, is forthcoming, adds Geetha.

From NewindPress.com