Sign language expert K S Chandramouli, who is in city along with his hearing impaired wife and 10-year-old son to deliver a lecture organised by the Mook Badhir Mandal, intends to fuel some enthusiasm among the hearing impaired to make efforts to popularise the Sign language and wants people handling public services to understand the language to help the deaf.

‘‘Audiologist, medical researchers, speech therapists do not always encourage deaf to express in Sign language freely. But they try their best to make deaf behave like hearing people whereas Sign language is our natural language,’’ said Chandramouli.

Chandramouli believes that even though all human emotions could be conveyed through Sign language. He has trained his son to understand English and Kannada along with Sign language. ‘‘We want corporates bodies as well as people handling public services to understand our special needs. We need at least one interpreter to help deaf people in railway stations, airports, RTO and VMC offices,’’ said Chandramouli.

‘‘I have approached various government officials with my interpreter and some state agencies in Karnataka have already begun training in Sign language. It has become effective thanks to strict orders by Commissioner of Disabled. Even court has shown support to solve problems of the deaf while hearing a civil or criminal case,’’ said Chandramouli.

Proud about his son Deepak’s performance in the DAV Public School, Chandramouli says, ‘‘Though he doesn’t follow his teachers, he likes the school very much. Every day the parents read his diary and helps him in his lessons. Just as parents help children understand any topic in their mother tongue.’’ Chandramouli currently works as a teacher for the hearing impaired and imparts training in Sign language at the Dr SR Chandrasekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing.

‘‘I’m proud to say that some persons are trained to become effective interpreters for the deaf. But it is still a distant dream,’’ said Chandramouli.

By Soumik Dey
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=177284