2020 Vol 2 Qtr 4 Rubaru

Understanding Deaf Culture: Why Indian Sign Language Needs Official Status

An artist talks about Audism, Deaf Gain, and finding his identity and language amongst the Deaf community, after growing up in a hearing environment

Hardeep Singh is a Deaf Artist, Multimedia Specialist, and a Deaf Empowerment Trainer from Delhi. Growing up in a hearing environment, he never got to understand or assert his deaf identity, leaving him confused and under-confident of his own future. In 2017, he participated in a training programme for deaf adults created by Centum GRO Initiative, which opened him up to the world of deaf history, deaf culture, audism and deaf gain. Since then, he has been advocating for the requirements and rights of the deaf community, as they push to make Indian Sign Language (ISL) a scheduled language in India, among other things.

In this video, Hardeep introduces us to the deaf community and culture, to show us how having a different language does not make an individual any different or less capable than the hearing community. He details the benefits of giving ISL an official status, to show how our society can be made more inclusive and compassionate.

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