Human nature is such that we take everything for granted. The bell rings, we open the door and ask ” what do you want”. Have we ever thought that the person who has come may not be able to talk or hear. This also stems from the fact that deafness is a disability that cannot be seen ( i mentioned that in one of the posts). Poor integration of differently able people in India has led to a complete segregation resulting in absolutely no knowledge whatsoever on how the differently able function and live. People just don’t know that today everything can be done by blind for example through audio conversion. People with severe disabilities are working on the computers/web with the advancements of technology. For deaf the major advancement has been in the field of mobiles through SMS. The deaf love SMS as a communication tool. I have asked people for their old phones and the first question is – what will they do with the phones. They can see as they are deaf so they can SMS, even a blind person today with the help of voice aid can use the phone.
This is a good opportunity for explaining how blind, deaf and deafblind communicate.
Deaf – Sign Language- SMS on cell phones
Blind – Braille to read and refreshable braille to work on – Can talk so use the phone/mobiles- Work very well as text can be converted into audio
Deaf blind- Braille to read but they are deaf also so no audio for them. Deaf blind use refreshable braille for working and tactile. Tactile is sign language through touch.
Dhruv
Filed under: Sign Language | Tagged: Blind, braille, Deaf, deafblind, tactile
