We have conducted quite a few classroom sessions for sometime now. A little outdoor learning is fun too.
All geared up this Sunday morning 01st Aug 2011, with a good drizzle LEED Pune decided to come as close to Indian History as we possibly could.
Venue - Mahatma Gandhi National Memorial Society , Nagar Road Pune.
Everyone came with a gust of enthusiasm that no one can stand up to. We started our walk around the building. Reading through the scriptures, the messages, labels that spoke of the Indian National Movement, The Great People involved in the Freedom Struggle, the sacrifices, the arrests, the challenges, the visions leaders had for a Developed India.
With our Co Founder and interpreter with us what we didnt understand she interpreted. Information totally accessible we could see history unfold before our very eyes. It was overwhelming to see and feel the moments Mahatma Gandhi spent with his dear ones in this place.
We visited the Samadhi too. Everyone was quiet, not because we remain silent often but to pay our respects and it was still sinking in.. the sacrifices our Great Leaders gave for our Freedom.
Even though we kind of studied history we usually were asked to memorize evrything. Today we Understood it all.
It was a beautiful morning and we are Proud to be Indians.
Atsy
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Going Green
Ah Yes.. the world is going Green these days. Everyone has a green thumb. Indoor plants, terrace gardens and small lawns around the home is trendy and also displays a message - I Care for Mother Earth.
LEED Pune members believe in being contributing citizens of the society, hence we decided to educate ourselves further.
Green Hills an NGO working for the environment for a couple of years now agreed to share some basic information with LEED Pune.
We understood why the earth is getting hotter, or has extreme weather these days. Its all the gases, pollution we gift the atmosphere.
Then we humans like to go one step ahead and create plastic waste & dump it everywhere. How will the Earth breathe when all we do is clog her up with waste.
LEED Pune understood the magnitude of the problem and decided to do our bit to preserve and protect Earth.
Basic funda - no earth - no land- no food - no US...
We have pledged our support to Green Hills and we are going to be supporting them whenever we can.
Deaf can contribute in every way to society. This is one of those ways.. So now LEED Pune is growing Green....
Cheers -
Atsy
LEED Pune members believe in being contributing citizens of the society, hence we decided to educate ourselves further.
Green Hills an NGO working for the environment for a couple of years now agreed to share some basic information with LEED Pune.
We understood why the earth is getting hotter, or has extreme weather these days. Its all the gases, pollution we gift the atmosphere.
Then we humans like to go one step ahead and create plastic waste & dump it everywhere. How will the Earth breathe when all we do is clog her up with waste.
LEED Pune understood the magnitude of the problem and decided to do our bit to preserve and protect Earth.
Basic funda - no earth - no land- no food - no US...
We have pledged our support to Green Hills and we are going to be supporting them whenever we can.
Deaf can contribute in every way to society. This is one of those ways.. So now LEED Pune is growing Green....
Cheers -
Atsy
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Legendary Rs 5
It was D Day, 15 July 2011, the day Potter fans all over the world were waiting for? Release of the much awaited movie. So like all crazy wannabe magicians we planned to watch the last of the series.
So now coming back to the rainy evening and the traffic jam, the objective of the mission was to reach the theatre on time to watch the show (missing even a minute of the show is a crime of the highest level u see, a Potter fan will definitely understand that) so anyway armed with our bags, umbrellas and imaginary wand we headed out of the house to find a rick to take us to the movies, we find one immediately and we think the wand’s working!
We sit in the rick and are zooming towards the theatre, the driver suddenly turns around and declares ‘Madam 40rs is what ill charge’ and I think 'WHAT'!! 'Should I turn him into a frog?? 40rs is he insane?' So we argue and negotiate and argue again, i'v lost my temper and so has he, getting out of the rick isn’t an option so I finally agree wanting to shove the 40 in his mouth, Aqil asks me what happened and so I sign the story to him, the driver keeps staring from the rear view mirror… n m thinking what does he want now?? Another 10? I ignore him, after a while he asks me … so can your brother not hear? I tell him yes he is deaf, he asks another question and slowly I tell him the story of LEED,
He seems shocked and suddenly the bickering rick driver disappears, he says that he has heard a lot of people talk about helping society and very few do it…. I think ya ya that’s what everyone says… I tell him give us your blessings so he asks, how many kids do u teach , we say 20 so he says u have blessings from 20 families m no one to bless you….... I’m touched..
We’ve reached our destination, I happily pay him Rs 40 and he returns Rs 5, I look at him quizzically and he smiles and says that’s all I can do for LEED today but tomorrow is another day!!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Summer Camp With a Difference
LEED Pune has had one more wonderful experience to share. We got the opportunity to conduct a session - during the summer camp for hearing kids of the St.Ignatius Church Pune.
LEED Pune had done a session for Summer Camp in 2010 through a dear friend. This time again LEED Pune was invited to conduct a session for the hearing kids.
The Theme for the Camp was "HAPPINESS". For two days LEED Pune team has been working after official working hours discussing, planning and practicing the session.
Today 07th May 2011 was a new day for LEED Pune members who had never conducted a session earlier. Always being part of the audience this was a new experience to take charge and conduct the session. Aqil could not be part of this session but he was leading the team with pre-session plans.
The session began with LEED Pune team introducing ourselves to the kids. The kids are a lovely bunch and they remembered how to applaud in sign language. They also remembered a few of the alphabet that Aqil taught them last year.
It was a good experience for the Deaf LEED Pune team who didn't conduct sessions [ empowerment in a way for them]. And overall we had some good fun with lots of interaction.
Thank YOU for inviting us Ms Carvalho. You gave us an opportunity to explore our own skills and also build our confidence. And to all those lovely kids attending the CAMP - YOU KIDS ARE WONDERFUL .... KEEP Smiling
Monday, April 25, 2011
Good News
LEED Pune...
Every Sunday we have something new to look at.
New ideas crop up from basic conversations and we build on these.
LEED Pune has been involved in some good empowerment on a very small scale and we will share this with you soon.
In the meantime friends keep wishing us luck and supporting us with your "likes" on facebook.
It makes us happy to see so many people "liking" our LEED Pune page on facebook.
We started off with just family and friends liking us and now the numbers are growing. This encourages all of us to do more and do better.
Until next time - Cheers
Atsy from LEED Pune
Every Sunday we have something new to look at.
New ideas crop up from basic conversations and we build on these.
LEED Pune has been involved in some good empowerment on a very small scale and we will share this with you soon.
In the meantime friends keep wishing us luck and supporting us with your "likes" on facebook.
It makes us happy to see so many people "liking" our LEED Pune page on facebook.
We started off with just family and friends liking us and now the numbers are growing. This encourages all of us to do more and do better.
Until next time - Cheers
Atsy from LEED Pune
Brain Storming
Used a lot in the professional world. Lets Brain storm and get things sorted.
Deaf have no clue what this really means. They have never used this term before and neither have they been told of this.
On 17th April 2011, LEED Pune had a discussion on Brain-storming.
-what it means
-what happens in a brain-storming session
-how effective it turns out to be
- the fun element in such sessions
The concept was taken up immediately and we had a short Brain storming session.
so now we have a skeleton of a skit script in place
we have a draft of the videos we are going to work on
Effective and fun, Brain Storming was the Mantra at LEED Pune on the 17th of April 2011.. :-)
Atsy...
Deaf have no clue what this really means. They have never used this term before and neither have they been told of this.
On 17th April 2011, LEED Pune had a discussion on Brain-storming.
-what it means
-what happens in a brain-storming session
-how effective it turns out to be
- the fun element in such sessions
The concept was taken up immediately and we had a short Brain storming session.
so now we have a skeleton of a skit script in place
we have a draft of the videos we are going to work on
Effective and fun, Brain Storming was the Mantra at LEED Pune on the 17th of April 2011.. :-)
Atsy...
Change
Leed Pune is working hard in educating society towards Deafness. We have been part of various small and not so small workshops, conferences and gatherings only to talk about building bridges.
Sometimes we have to be part of long discussions clearing myths surrounding use of sign language for Deaf kids and adults.
Sometimes, we just face huge road blocks as people build walls around them and dont want to see the real world.
At times unexpectantly we are surprised by a simple comment by someone we didnt reach out to yet.
We have been encouraging parents and hearing siblings of the Deaf to try learning sign language to communicate easily with their Deaf kids.
Just the other day a parent who has attended just one session of LEED Pune activities thought aloud that parents must learn sign language. Its so much easier for both - the deaf and the parents to interact.
This was a surprise and an achievement for us at LEED Pune. From every session that we have if we have even one parent changing his views towards sign language and opening up to accept it, it will eventually bring about a huge change.
So we at LEED Pune believe Change is good and we are the change that we want to bring about..
Atsy
Sometimes we have to be part of long discussions clearing myths surrounding use of sign language for Deaf kids and adults.
Sometimes, we just face huge road blocks as people build walls around them and dont want to see the real world.
At times unexpectantly we are surprised by a simple comment by someone we didnt reach out to yet.
We have been encouraging parents and hearing siblings of the Deaf to try learning sign language to communicate easily with their Deaf kids.
Just the other day a parent who has attended just one session of LEED Pune activities thought aloud that parents must learn sign language. Its so much easier for both - the deaf and the parents to interact.
This was a surprise and an achievement for us at LEED Pune. From every session that we have if we have even one parent changing his views towards sign language and opening up to accept it, it will eventually bring about a huge change.
So we at LEED Pune believe Change is good and we are the change that we want to bring about..
Atsy
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
My Silent World
My Silent World
My world is a silent world
But I see and understand.
You speak aloud
I hear not a sound
You get fed up & frown.
Speak with your hands,
Move them gently and clearly
Watch me understand your words.
I see and hear with my eyes
I hear all that the ear denies
I speak with my hands & fingers
I will unweave my dreams, share my ambitions & confide my fears.
So speak to me and see me smile
Speak to me in the language of SIGNS.
Atiya Hajee
12 Nov 2002
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Audism
Today 3rd April 2011 at LEED Pune we discussed topics related to Racism, Casteism, Sexism and Audism.
I would thank Yuva Association of the Deaf Mumbai [YAD] as I got a fair idea of this topic during one of my sessions with members of YAD.
Most of us would know what "Racism, Casteism, Sexism and Audism mean, but these are new concepts for the Deaf in Pune. With various examples to understand the concept we had a long discussion.
Audism- I am not too sure if many even in the hearing world are aware of this.
Using Sign Language is a natural means of communication for the Deaf. As a kid a deaf child is not taught to sign but he on his own creates his own signs and expresses his needs to his mother and his family.
Once in school he is stopped from using his hands to convey his thoughts, or express his views. He is forced to speak, which is not very good with. This ban on using sign language to communicate and express himself is Audism.
We believe in Freedom of Expression, freedom of speech and all. But we sometimes very strongly and at times very cruelly restrict the Deaf from expressing themselves.
I have heard stories and witnessed harsh treatment towards the Deaf restricting them to use sign language. They are beaten on their hands, at times their hands are tied behind their backs, they are punished as well. This does not remain in the schools alone but extends to the home as well. It is unfortunate that the deaf have had these experiences for many years, and continue to do so.
Many believe that if a Deaf child is encouraged to use sign language he will forget to speak. This is very untrue. Complete education of any child is not limited to the vocabulary he picks up, but is measured from what he understands from the environment, his peers and his school life. Unfortumately for the Deaf, their education is measured by the vocabulary he manages to speak.
It is irrelevant if the words he reproduces are correct, audible, pronounced correctly. What is considered that he has tried to say a word.
A deaf child loses out on many years of language development and lands up not knowing how to read and write basic sentences in any language.
Wish things would change.
Atsy
I would thank Yuva Association of the Deaf Mumbai [YAD] as I got a fair idea of this topic during one of my sessions with members of YAD.
Most of us would know what "Racism, Casteism, Sexism and Audism mean, but these are new concepts for the Deaf in Pune. With various examples to understand the concept we had a long discussion.
Audism- I am not too sure if many even in the hearing world are aware of this.
Using Sign Language is a natural means of communication for the Deaf. As a kid a deaf child is not taught to sign but he on his own creates his own signs and expresses his needs to his mother and his family.
Once in school he is stopped from using his hands to convey his thoughts, or express his views. He is forced to speak, which is not very good with. This ban on using sign language to communicate and express himself is Audism.
We believe in Freedom of Expression, freedom of speech and all. But we sometimes very strongly and at times very cruelly restrict the Deaf from expressing themselves.
I have heard stories and witnessed harsh treatment towards the Deaf restricting them to use sign language. They are beaten on their hands, at times their hands are tied behind their backs, they are punished as well. This does not remain in the schools alone but extends to the home as well. It is unfortunate that the deaf have had these experiences for many years, and continue to do so.
Many believe that if a Deaf child is encouraged to use sign language he will forget to speak. This is very untrue. Complete education of any child is not limited to the vocabulary he picks up, but is measured from what he understands from the environment, his peers and his school life. Unfortumately for the Deaf, their education is measured by the vocabulary he manages to speak.
It is irrelevant if the words he reproduces are correct, audible, pronounced correctly. What is considered that he has tried to say a word.
A deaf child loses out on many years of language development and lands up not knowing how to read and write basic sentences in any language.
Wish things would change.
Atsy
A New Day, a New Discussion
I was lucky to be part of the Orissa Association of the Deaf 32 Foundation Day Celebration on 26th 27th March2011. For the first time in Orissa an association instead of the regular fun activities to organize a Conference on Indian Sign Language and Deaf Youth Developments.
This indeed is a great step towards Deaf Youth Empowerment.
Today at LEED Pune, I shared my experience at the Orissa Association of the Deaf Conference .
It is good to see that Deaf Youth across the country although slowly are moving ahead and standing up to learn and teach each other.
There were lectures by Deaf individuals from Mumbai, Delhi, Kerela, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Kolkata. The beauty of the sessions was the Signers , I wont use the term "Speakers" had prepared their own presentations, repeated if someone from the audience looked lost and supported each other when they were bogged down with numerous questions.
Its wonderful to see a change where the Deaf are now coming out of their shell ready to face challenges and move ahead supporting their Deaf brothers and sisters along with them.
CHEERS to DEAFHOOD. :-)
Atsy..
This indeed is a great step towards Deaf Youth Empowerment.
Today at LEED Pune, I shared my experience at the Orissa Association of the Deaf Conference .
It is good to see that Deaf Youth across the country although slowly are moving ahead and standing up to learn and teach each other.
There were lectures by Deaf individuals from Mumbai, Delhi, Kerela, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Kolkata. The beauty of the sessions was the Signers , I wont use the term "Speakers" had prepared their own presentations, repeated if someone from the audience looked lost and supported each other when they were bogged down with numerous questions.
Its wonderful to see a change where the Deaf are now coming out of their shell ready to face challenges and move ahead supporting their Deaf brothers and sisters along with them.
CHEERS to DEAFHOOD. :-)
Atsy..
Friday, April 1, 2011
DEAF not Dumb!!
A lot is being done within the Deaf community to empower the Deaf Youth. This will eventually bring about a positive change within the Deaf Community in India.
Targeting the Deaf youth with topics like Deaf Empowerment, Deaf Human Rights, Access to information, Right to Education has helped in creating a curiosity in the minds of the Deaf youth to look at the world differently. They are keen to learn more.
I have been part of various workshops , seminars and conferences of the Deaf, as a sign language interpreter & also delivering lectures. Quite often hearing people who may be the chief guests, or the organizers of such gatherings out of respect towards the Deaf community address the Deaf as " DEAF & DUMB / DEAF MUTE".
After a lot of reading across the internet have learnt the following .
It is about time that we in India too respect the thoughts of the Deaf and stop labeling them with various names like Deaf & Dumb, Deaf Mute, Hearing Handicapped, Hearing Impaired.
The Deaf are proud to be called Deaf because being Deaf is being part of a rich and varied culture - The Deaf Culture, having a wonderful Deaf History with many great historical moments and the use of sign language for communication.
India is proud of its rich heritage, its culture and its various languages. We stand up against disrespect for anyone. However we have never given the same respect to the Deaf community till date. We call them by names that are offensive to them and we are of the opinion that we have the right to call them by that name.
Let us change now and treat everyone , even the Deaf with respect. Lets ask them what they want and what is the rationale behind it. Lets respect the opinion of the Deaf community who is as intelligent as any of us and has the Right to Express themselves. Lets Change....
Cheers..
Atsy..
Targeting the Deaf youth with topics like Deaf Empowerment, Deaf Human Rights, Access to information, Right to Education has helped in creating a curiosity in the minds of the Deaf youth to look at the world differently. They are keen to learn more.
I have been part of various workshops , seminars and conferences of the Deaf, as a sign language interpreter & also delivering lectures. Quite often hearing people who may be the chief guests, or the organizers of such gatherings out of respect towards the Deaf community address the Deaf as " DEAF & DUMB / DEAF MUTE".
After a lot of reading across the internet have learnt the following .
- how people label themselves is a personal decision as its an identification of themselves.
- Deaf people prefer being called Deaf only
- people with minimal hearing loss prefer to call themselves Hard of Hearing.
- other labels like Deaf & Dumb, Deaf Mute, Hearing handicapped, Hearing Impaired are offensive to the Deaf.
- Deaf and Dumb - The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, pronounced the deaf as “deaf and dumb,” because he felt that deaf people were incapable of being taught, of learning, and of reasoned thinking. To his way of thinking, if a person could not use his/her voice in the same way as hearing people, then there was no way that this person could develop cognitive abilities. (Source: Deaf Heritage, by Jack Gannon, 1980).
- Later on Dumb meant to be silent. This again is untrue as the Deaf are definitely not silent and use sign language, lip read, use vocalizations for communication. Now Dumb has a newer meaning - being stupid / unintelligent. Deaf are not stupid in any way and we need to realize it and accept this.
- DEAF MUTE - Mute also means without a voice. This we have already seen is an untrue fact as the Deaf do have functioning vocal chords and they have a voice when they laugh, cry, yell to call each other or yell in pain.
- Hearing Impaired - Once this term was used as it seemed politically correct . However as times have changed "Impaired" as a term is considered with a negativity to it. It focuses on the inability to perform something. It implies that something is not as it should be and ought to be fixed if possible. To be fair, this is probably not what people intended to convey by the term “hearing impaired.”
It is about time that we in India too respect the thoughts of the Deaf and stop labeling them with various names like Deaf & Dumb, Deaf Mute, Hearing Handicapped, Hearing Impaired.
The Deaf are proud to be called Deaf because being Deaf is being part of a rich and varied culture - The Deaf Culture, having a wonderful Deaf History with many great historical moments and the use of sign language for communication.
India is proud of its rich heritage, its culture and its various languages. We stand up against disrespect for anyone. However we have never given the same respect to the Deaf community till date. We call them by names that are offensive to them and we are of the opinion that we have the right to call them by that name.
Let us change now and treat everyone , even the Deaf with respect. Lets ask them what they want and what is the rationale behind it. Lets respect the opinion of the Deaf community who is as intelligent as any of us and has the Right to Express themselves. Lets Change....
Cheers..
Atsy..
Let Me...
Let me see a Better World;
Let me hear a better world.
Coz I can do just as You.
But let me know
All that's happening around
in the tone I understand best.
Let me hear with my eyes
&
Talk with my hands;
For my ears fail me.
Give me a chance to express myself
Then
Amongst the Best I CAN Stand!
Sign to me
Sign with me
&
Together we can swim
the Deep blue Sea !
29th sept2003
Atiya
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Our Guest Lecturer
I have always wanted to get the experienced Deaf Leaders whom I have worked with in Mumbai inspire my Deaf group in Pune. So LEED Pune decided to invite one prominent Deaf Leader from Mumbai. Sujit Sahasrabudhe - the Guest at LEED Pune.
Sujit is not only the Master Trainer at ISL cell AYJNIHH Mumbai, but also a part of Yuva Association of the Deaf in Mumbai. He has been to the Frontrunners Leadership program in Europe and has also presented papers at various conferences in Europe.
LEED Pune was all excited to have Sujit among us.
And it was a session to be remembered.
To come out of waiting for sympathy and standing for Deaf Rights, to ask for support with dignity and most importantly to stand united was the mantra of the day.
Sujit had a wonderful blend of humor in the session.
Sujit said " when people of the same kind, group, community are together they are more confident as compared to when they are alone in a crowd of people from a different background." Similarly the Deaf feel isolated, lost when they are all alone in the hearing word.
If a hearing person is asked to sit in a group of Deaf signers for an hour he will not survive for more than five minutes as he will feel isolated, lost and it will leave him feeling upset.
We get our strengths from people who we are similar to, who understand us and who interact with us.
Thank you Sujit for sharing your thoughts with us..
Sujit is not only the Master Trainer at ISL cell AYJNIHH Mumbai, but also a part of Yuva Association of the Deaf in Mumbai. He has been to the Frontrunners Leadership program in Europe and has also presented papers at various conferences in Europe.
LEED Pune was all excited to have Sujit among us.
And it was a session to be remembered.
To come out of waiting for sympathy and standing for Deaf Rights, to ask for support with dignity and most importantly to stand united was the mantra of the day.
Sujit had a wonderful blend of humor in the session.
Sujit said " when people of the same kind, group, community are together they are more confident as compared to when they are alone in a crowd of people from a different background." Similarly the Deaf feel isolated, lost when they are all alone in the hearing word.
If a hearing person is asked to sit in a group of Deaf signers for an hour he will not survive for more than five minutes as he will feel isolated, lost and it will leave him feeling upset.
We get our strengths from people who we are similar to, who understand us and who interact with us.
Thank you Sujit for sharing your thoughts with us..
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The LOGO...
And now you guys will know the actual story.
I have received a lot of comments from people praising the LOGO of LEED Pune.
Its colorful, its the sign of a hand and it depicts unity.
To tell you the truth I could not imagine that design in my head. We had all our Deaf members of LEED Pune busy in discussion one evening and we decided to give ourselves an identity. A lot of names were thrown about. Its not very easy for the Deaf to think of a name, not because they don't know or cant think. Its because they have not done this before. We wanted a name that would reflect our aim. After a lot of weird combinations and ideas, we settled on LEED Pune but we were still not sure.
Then we had the task of giving us a visual identity. All the Deaf guys were on their feet, some were drawing on paper, some drew imaginary logos on the floor, some scanned the internet and some made a human logo.
Then we got Kishore Mohite to use his talent to design it, color it and give our imagination some life.
He did a brilliant job and today we have a Beautiful logo, one which I am very proud of and love.
And we have so many people liking it too on facebook "LEED PUNE".
So now you know how the logo was designed..
Its a great energy these guys have, a thirst to do something new and they are very creative.
well more news coming up soon enough. Till then wish LEED some more luck and have a lovely week. :-)
Cheers,
Atsy
I have received a lot of comments from people praising the LOGO of LEED Pune.
Its colorful, its the sign of a hand and it depicts unity.
To tell you the truth I could not imagine that design in my head. We had all our Deaf members of LEED Pune busy in discussion one evening and we decided to give ourselves an identity. A lot of names were thrown about. Its not very easy for the Deaf to think of a name, not because they don't know or cant think. Its because they have not done this before. We wanted a name that would reflect our aim. After a lot of weird combinations and ideas, we settled on LEED Pune but we were still not sure.
Then we had the task of giving us a visual identity. All the Deaf guys were on their feet, some were drawing on paper, some drew imaginary logos on the floor, some scanned the internet and some made a human logo.
Then we got Kishore Mohite to use his talent to design it, color it and give our imagination some life.
He did a brilliant job and today we have a Beautiful logo, one which I am very proud of and love.
And we have so many people liking it too on facebook "LEED PUNE".
So now you know how the logo was designed..
Its a great energy these guys have, a thirst to do something new and they are very creative.
well more news coming up soon enough. Till then wish LEED some more luck and have a lovely week. :-)
Cheers,
Atsy
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Signers Club - Now LEED PUNE
That is how it looks to be now.
I envisioned a group of Deaf and hearing signers all coming together as one. Been trying to advocate the benefits of using ISL [ Indian Sign Language in Pune].
Unfortunately its taking time.
But what has beautifully picked up is a small group of Deaf individuals and me working towards Leadership Education Empowerment for the Deaf.
We call ourselves LEED Pune. So from Signers club we moved on to LEED Pune.
I guess this is how it was meant to be. First we empower the Deaf and then eventually we will be in a better position to spread awareness and advocate the use of ISL. So the signer's club is a part of LEED Pune. its just not ready to be in action yet.
Wish us at LEED Pune good luck.
Atsy.
I envisioned a group of Deaf and hearing signers all coming together as one. Been trying to advocate the benefits of using ISL [ Indian Sign Language in Pune].
Unfortunately its taking time.
But what has beautifully picked up is a small group of Deaf individuals and me working towards Leadership Education Empowerment for the Deaf.
We call ourselves LEED Pune. So from Signers club we moved on to LEED Pune.
I guess this is how it was meant to be. First we empower the Deaf and then eventually we will be in a better position to spread awareness and advocate the use of ISL. So the signer's club is a part of LEED Pune. its just not ready to be in action yet.
Wish us at LEED Pune good luck.
Atsy.
Dictation - A New Concept for the Deaf
Hi,
Sounds surprising? Yes its true and I realized this last Sunday to be precise on 20th feb2011. Aqil and I have been noticing that the Deaf cant seem to remember spellings. Our students told us too that it was difficult and they would invariably misspell even a simple word.
I spoke to them of the concept of Dictation, that I was exposed to as a kid in school. This actually got me the idea of trying to have a dictation for our English class. It was decided - this sunday all the vocabulary that we had learnt we will have to memorize and have a Dictation Test.
Everyone was ready today and we started off - for the first time the Deaf of our group who have studied in various schools in Pune gave a dictation test.
Sadly what should have been a routine at school to help memorize spelling was never done for the Deaf, and the irony is the Deaf are always blamed for not being able to memorize spelling. Not their fault is what I say.
Anyways, we managed to do just thirty words. However everyone is all geared up to do at least fifty words next Sunday :-) . I love their dedication and enthusiasm.
What we all realized that in their twenties these Deaf, stiil have a long way to go in picking up and moving on with a written language. I hope that the fire to learn never diminishes in these young minds.
Post lunch we faced a challenge. We have access to only one classroom and today we have a few new joinees. We could not stop our session and we did not want the new guys and girls to miss out on what we had done previously. Aqil and Prince volunteered to give individual attention to the new students and teach them what we did previously.
What do you think the old kids do? Nah- we didnt while away time. I picked out a few individuals who were confident of what they had learnt all this while and we set up small teams.
Task - each team picks up a few words and acts as the trainer to teach the rest.
Outcome - Train the Trainers - we may have some good skilled Deaf individuals who have good leadership qualities, some who have a lot of patience and some who had the art of getting fun into a study session. Healthy competition and a good interactive session where each group tried to outdo the other.
End Result - we are building up
We strated off with a handful of Deaf friends at LEED Pune and at that time we didnt even have a name to ourselves. Today we have an Identity, we are growing in number and most importantly we are learning to share what we learn.
It is true we learn more when we teach others . I see this happen every sunday.
All for now. LEED Pune will be back with some more news soon.
And you guys can catch us in action on facebook. Search for LEED Pune.
Cheers
Atsy
Sounds surprising? Yes its true and I realized this last Sunday to be precise on 20th feb2011. Aqil and I have been noticing that the Deaf cant seem to remember spellings. Our students told us too that it was difficult and they would invariably misspell even a simple word.
I spoke to them of the concept of Dictation, that I was exposed to as a kid in school. This actually got me the idea of trying to have a dictation for our English class. It was decided - this sunday all the vocabulary that we had learnt we will have to memorize and have a Dictation Test.
Everyone was ready today and we started off - for the first time the Deaf of our group who have studied in various schools in Pune gave a dictation test.
Sadly what should have been a routine at school to help memorize spelling was never done for the Deaf, and the irony is the Deaf are always blamed for not being able to memorize spelling. Not their fault is what I say.
Anyways, we managed to do just thirty words. However everyone is all geared up to do at least fifty words next Sunday :-) . I love their dedication and enthusiasm.
What we all realized that in their twenties these Deaf, stiil have a long way to go in picking up and moving on with a written language. I hope that the fire to learn never diminishes in these young minds.
Post lunch we faced a challenge. We have access to only one classroom and today we have a few new joinees. We could not stop our session and we did not want the new guys and girls to miss out on what we had done previously. Aqil and Prince volunteered to give individual attention to the new students and teach them what we did previously.
What do you think the old kids do? Nah- we didnt while away time. I picked out a few individuals who were confident of what they had learnt all this while and we set up small teams.
Task - each team picks up a few words and acts as the trainer to teach the rest.
Outcome - Train the Trainers - we may have some good skilled Deaf individuals who have good leadership qualities, some who have a lot of patience and some who had the art of getting fun into a study session. Healthy competition and a good interactive session where each group tried to outdo the other.
End Result - we are building up
- word bank
- improving leadership qualities
- getting rid of stage fear
- learning to respect the speaker
We strated off with a handful of Deaf friends at LEED Pune and at that time we didnt even have a name to ourselves. Today we have an Identity, we are growing in number and most importantly we are learning to share what we learn.
It is true we learn more when we teach others . I see this happen every sunday.
All for now. LEED Pune will be back with some more news soon.
And you guys can catch us in action on facebook. Search for LEED Pune.
Cheers
Atsy
LEED Pune
LEED Pune - & what do you think LEED stands for?? Its simple - Leadership Education, Empowerment of Deaf in Pune. Its a group of one hearing person [ "Me"] and a group of Deaf individuals mostly in their twenties. We have been on the move to bring about a change in our lives.
The Deaf community at large is an isolated group, not due to their Deafness, but due to a language difference, a communication barrier. This has lead to lower self esteem, lower confidence and a very limited level of information. One can imagine how life is when we are partly educated, or partly informed.. Well our Deaf individuals face a number of difficulties that have been due to the above.
LEED Pune - though not yet registered , is a group of dedicated individuals who are working towards eradicating the communication / language barrier. We have been conducting English literacy classes since Nov 2010 till date. Initially we didnt have a place to conduct classes so we did small sessions from home, eventually we found a small hall in Viman Nagar Pune and we conducted classes there for around 3 months.
We have moved ahead and the number of Deaf individuals who have joined us has increased. We have now temporarily been given a proper classroom at a college. With better infrastructure and a classroom set up its easier to teach and learn.
Its not only teaching and learning that we do at LEED Pune. We have various discussions and a few fun filled activities too..
Everyone at LEED Pune is always waiting for a Sunday as its the day we all come together and have some good fun!
Cheers and keep looking for more news on LEED Pune.
Atsy..
The Deaf community at large is an isolated group, not due to their Deafness, but due to a language difference, a communication barrier. This has lead to lower self esteem, lower confidence and a very limited level of information. One can imagine how life is when we are partly educated, or partly informed.. Well our Deaf individuals face a number of difficulties that have been due to the above.
LEED Pune - though not yet registered , is a group of dedicated individuals who are working towards eradicating the communication / language barrier. We have been conducting English literacy classes since Nov 2010 till date. Initially we didnt have a place to conduct classes so we did small sessions from home, eventually we found a small hall in Viman Nagar Pune and we conducted classes there for around 3 months.
We have moved ahead and the number of Deaf individuals who have joined us has increased. We have now temporarily been given a proper classroom at a college. With better infrastructure and a classroom set up its easier to teach and learn.
Its not only teaching and learning that we do at LEED Pune. We have various discussions and a few fun filled activities too..
Everyone at LEED Pune is always waiting for a Sunday as its the day we all come together and have some good fun!
Cheers and keep looking for more news on LEED Pune.
Atsy..
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