Lend an ear please: New dictionary brings hope for the aurally impaired

The 5,000-word dictionary, DVD and phone hopes to bridge the gap between the aurally impaired and society.

KARACHI:

The struggle for the improvement of living standards for the aurally impaired has crossed another milestone with the launch of the 5,000-word visual dictionary, DVD and phone app by the Pakistan Sign Language (PSL), a free online lexicon.

The products were launched at a ceremony held at the Movenpick hotel on Thursday. The Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF), in collaboration with the ILM, hosted the launch of the 'Pakistan sign language resources' to bridge the widening gap between the aurally impaired and society.



The pioneering project of the visual dictionary is available in both English and Urdu on the internet. The book, 1,000 Basic Signs, also comprises translations from PSL to four other regional languages.

"The hard work and efforts by the FESF, spanning over two decades, in promoting education and employment for the aurally impaired in Pakistan has made a difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families," said the chief executive officer of a consulting firm, Saad Amanullah Khan, while addressing the audience that included prominent businessmen and patrons of the project from the corporate sector.

The provincial education minister, Nisar Khuhro, lauded the efforts of the FESF and briefed about its impact on the lives of the beneficiaries. He revealed that the Sindh government will be engaging in policy dialogue with the FESF to see how the PSL learning resources could be incorporated into the regional school curriculum.

FESF executive director Richard Geary gave a presentation on the background and development of PSL resources. "There are around 1.25 million aurally impaired children in Pakistan of school age, out of which less than 10,000 attend school," he revealed.

Praising the tremendous work done by the PSL, Geary said that it took three years to compile the visual dictionary. The reason for launching a book with the basic 1,000 words was to help people living in areas where they did not have access to DVD players and TVs. "Sign language is not universal. We are trying to give a voice to the community that is marginalised in society due to their hearing disability," he said.



Sign language is the third-most studied language in the United States and a number of countries had developed detailed resources of their respective sign language to facilitate the deaf. "Each day, our team records 200 words for the visual dictionary and each word is repeated until we get the perfect shot," said one of the team members.

The audience grew emotional with the powerful documentary on aurally impaired children, titled 'Aur Sunao' by film director, Taqi Shaheen. The film looks into the lives of the aurally impaired who are successfully employed in various jobs.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2014.