South Asian Deaf Community in North America and in South

Asia

Deafness, Communication issues, & Deaf Proud

Presenters:

Gausia Huq-ValiSagar Kothari

North American Bengali Conference 2011Baltimore Convention Center

July 2, 2011

Metro South Asian Deaf Association (MSADA)

1. Brief History2. This organization includes 7 countries in South Asia3. Our website4. Hosted fund-raising events, General Meetings, Social

Hours, and co-hosted Deaf Mela fun-escape event5. Currently, we are 11 people on the board6. Why did we set up MSADA?

MSADA: Brief History• Pre-history

– 1980 to 2002 focused on India only.• In July 2002, older generation South Asian

Gallaudet alumni & current generation South Asian young adults got together and founded Metro South Asian Deaf Association (MSADA) in May 10, 2003

1. Seven SA countries: INDIA, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, SRI LANKA, NEPAL, BHUTAN, MALDIVES

MSADA: hosted Cultural, Educational & Recreational events

• Hosted annual fund-raising events:

1. Diwali & Eid event

2. Aluth Avurudha (Sri Lankan New Year) event

3. Holi Festival & Picnic

4. Participated as booth vendor at Gallaudet University events:

- Homecoming booth- Unity Fest booth

• Hosted General Meetings

1. Invited two presenters (Deaf director and his CODA daughter who was an Indian Sign Language interpreter) from Indore School for the Deaf

2. Invited a few Bangladeshi presenters from a Deaf school in Bangladesh

3. Sri Lankan Presentation for raising funds for setting up a new Deaf organization in Sri Lanka

4. Dr. Madan Vasishta gave several presentations on different deaf Indian organizations and other non-profit/NGO Deaf organizations

MSADA: hosted Cultural, Educational & Recreational events (continued)

Social Hour parties

Co-hosted a family fun-escape social gathering – Deaf Mela in Seattle in 2008

MSADA: Why did we set up MSADA as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization?

2. Foreign students from South Asia come to study aboard at Gallaudet University

• MSADA make them feel like a “home”

• Help them to understand Deaf culture, American Sign Language, empower them, our Deaf rights, stand up for their rights, and leadership

• Most deaf foreigners were neglected by their hearing parents or they were ignorant about Deaf needs, etc. We help them to increase their knowledge, and be independent

1. MSADA have hosted recreational, cultural and social events to

• Promote awareness and respect for diversity and multiculturalism to the Deaf South Asian community

• Our mission is to establish friendship and understanding among people of diverse heritage, cultures, languages and backgrounds

MSADA: Why did we set up MSADA as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization? (continued)

3. Hosting fundraisers to raise funds for the causes limited solely to Deaf South Asian communities worldwide

• Finance Deaf schools• Deaf organizations• Scholarships for enrolled Deaf foreigners to Gallaudet University• Ultimate GOAL: Host our first international Deaf South Asian conference in

Washington, DC

4. Fun social events to bring all of us together and bond

Statistics of Deaf people, in general

USA• According to the Census of

2010,thereare ~312 millions people (both deaf and hearing people)

• How many deaf and hard of hearing people? 28 millions…

• About 1.5 million deaf people

Demograph

284,000,000

28,000,0001,500,000Generaldeaf & hh peopledeaf

INDIA• Over 1 billion total

population• Estimated about 10 millions

deaf people• About 60 millions deaf and

hard of hearing people• No aggregate data on SA

countries.

South Asia• In the seven SA countries, it

is estimated that one-third of world’s deaf population live there

• There are over 30 million deaf people

• About 180 million deaf and hard of hearing people

Statistics of Deaf people, in general (continued)

General Picture of Deafness in SA

• Only 5-10% get an education• One in a million is able to go to college• 30 to 50% unemployment or

underemployment• New laws are being introduced in all SA

countries• We believe things will improve there

American Sign Language (ASL) mode

• Not all Deaf people communicate the same way.

• Some sign and there are many forms of signs.• ASL is a natural language in its own right. • Some people use ASL signs in English word

order. • The communication issue is hugh, we are just

touching the tip of the iceberg here.

Communication modes

• ASL (American Sign Language) • Oralism/lip-reading• Cued-speech• PSE (Pigeon Signed English)• SEE (Signed Exact English)• SPP (sign language communication mode for

Deaf-blind people… tactile sign language/braille sign language

Sign Languages used in South Asian countries

• ISL (Indian Sign Language) – Not all regions in all parts of India are 100% the same. There are slightly different signs in Mumbai, Bangalore, Gujarat, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, etc…

• PSL (Pakistani Sign Language)• Sri Lankan Sign Language• Bangladeshi Sign Language • Nepali Sign Language…• British Sign Language (BSL)• SIGN LANGUAGE IS NOT UNIVERSAL. EACH COUNTRY HAS ITS

OWN SIGN LANGAUGE.

Cochlear Implants

• This is the latest technology.• It is not an hearing aid.• Some deaf children and adults do

benefit from CI, but for some it does not help.

Deaf schools

• There are 77 Deaf schools in the nation (USA)

• However, more than 65% of deaf children attended mainstream programs.

Colleges/Universities for the Deaf/HH1. Gallaudet University, Washington, DC – The only liberal arts university in the world that

serves Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students. Today, hearing students are matriculated into the programs. ~ 1,400 Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and hearing students

2. National Technical Institute for the Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology (NTID/RIT), Rochester, NY – 1,200 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students and more than 10,000 hearing undergraduate students at R.I.T.

3. California State University at Northridge (CSUN), Los Angeles, CA – More than 220 deaf and hard-of-hearing students; more than 35,000 hearing students

4. Other community colleges and hearing universities that have Deaf programs such as Northeastern University, McDaniel College, Hunter College, New York University, Columbia University, Seattle Central Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Hofstra University, etc…

General Public and Importance of Communication

• Deaf people do not need help. They need understanding.

• If you (hearing people/hearing parents or sibling) want to help Deaf people, learn how to communicate effectively with them. Learning ASL is the first step.

Deaf Professionals• President of Gallaudet University – DeafDr. I. King Jordan (1988 – 2006) – his famous quote: “Deaf people can do

anything except hear”Dr. Robert Davilia(2007 – 2009)Dr. Alan Hurwitz (2010 – present)

• Deaf doctors, Deaf lawyers, Deaf teachers, Deaf professors (like Dr. Madan Vasishta and Dr. Gaurav Mathur), Deaf engineers, Deaf social workers, Deaf marriage counselors, Deaf pilots, Deaf-owned businesses, Deaf CPA accountants, etc…

• Deaf/HH people can DRIVE!!!! Even motorcycle!

Deaf Education system

USA• Most schools use signs• Deaf people are involved in

education• Almost half teachers are

deaf• About 30% of schools have

deaf superintendents/ principals

South Asia• Mostly oral education• No education for rural deaf• Deaf people are not allowed

to teach• Government provides some

support for training

Comparison

The United States• Provides equal access

through interpreters, closed captioning, Video relays and other support as needed

• Education in mandatory• Deaf people work in federal

and state governments, run their own business and are active on par with hearing people

South Asia• Non of these are available

in SA countries• Though education is

mandatory, only 5 to 10 % deaf children get any education

• Very few deaf people get jobs in government. Very few have business (usually family owned)

What you can do?

• Involve deaf people• (you are already doing that by inviting us to

talk with you)• Learn sign language of the country• Try to understand deaf people• Support causes such as deaf education,

employment and rehabilitation

Questions!

• We are ready for your questions!

For more InformationPlease visit

MSADA website

www.msada-dc.org