{"id":2276,"date":"2023-05-16T15:50:18","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T15:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unspokenasl.com\/aslblogs\/?p=2276"},"modified":"2023-11-05T04:45:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T04:45:53","slug":"deaf-rights-in-india-a-look-at-accessibility-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unspokenasl.com\/aslblogs\/deaf-rights-in-india-a-look-at-accessibility-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Deaf Rights in India: A Look at Accessibility and Inclusion in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cAre you deaf, or are you normal?\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michele Friedner, the author of Valuing Deaf Worlds in India,<\/em> states that this is a common question asked in Indian society. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community in India has always faced a significant amount of stigma. The opposite of \u201cdeaf\u201d isn\u2019t \u201chearing\u201d, it\u2019s \u201cnormal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friedner notes that this wordplay isn\u2019t a result of deep-rooted discrimination against the DHH community. Indian society views hearing, speaking, and seeing as the standard. This same mindset extends to all other marginalized groups such as neurodivergent individuals, folks with darker skin tones, and people with disorders such as vitiligo. The reason these groups are \u201cmarginalized\u201d and not a \u201cminority\u201d is because there is actually a very large population of these communities in India. For instance, the WHO states that 16 million of India\u2019s population falls within the DHH category. Similarly, vitiligo is at its highest global rate at 8.8% in the Indian population. The purpose of mentioning these different communities concurrently is not to compare one group\u2019s struggles against another\u2019s. The comparison helps us understand that Indian society, like many others, does not have a tabula rasa that could help propel all marginalized groups ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why it doesn\u2019t come as a surprise that the DHH community faces issues of inclusion in the workplace. It is ironic that the debate is on whether the DHH community can be propelled<\/em><\/strong> ahead<\/em><\/strong> because, with the number of roadblocks placed in a differently-abled individual\u2019s career, any steps taken are in fact an equalizer, not a head start.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cure for deafness: what has been done for the DHH community in India?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stigma faced by the DHH community makes it difficult to feel included in the workplace. Dr. Jill Jepson, in \u201cSome Aspects of the Deaf Experience in India\u201d<\/em> states that families in India look at deafness as something that needs to be cured, which inevitably impacts a DHH person\u2019s opportunities in the workplace. Additionally, workplaces do not have one common tongue because India is home to 22 official languages. Communication becomes a struggle when a deaf employee may communicate through Indian Sign Language when the workplace requires ASL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another distinction, which may help DHH folks, is the one between the \u201cDeaf\u201d and \u201cdeaf\u201d communities in India. The latter are individuals who became deaf later in life and were not born deaf. These people prefer hearing aids over learning ISL. While this diminishes the progress of ISL, the benefit for these individuals is that they face less scrutiny in comparison to Deaf workers. In many ways, they\u2019re considered \u201cnormal\u201d<\/em> which allows their talents and hard work to be seen through an unbiased lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, there have been efforts made to help the DHH workers in India. For instance, the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) created a corporate code on disability in 2006. This code describes \u201cdisabled workers\u201d as capable, reliable employees who are more likely to stick to a job than other employees. (Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre 2009). On the other hand, India\u2019s National Association of the Deaf has taken initiatives to increase the accessibility of ISL by establishing an Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre. (ISLRTC) The presence of such programs advances the case for ISL spreading. NAD also aims to provide interpreters which will inevitably benefit workers in India. In recent years, ISLRTC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dehli Metropolitan Rail Corporation and carried out basic ISL training for the front staff members of DMRC. By October 2022, 978 members of DMRC could communicate in ISL at a simple level. Another major step taken by ISLRTC was the introduction of an ISL dictionary. The dictionary has three editions and is available for download on one\u2019s smartphone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job security: how India\u2019s private sector has made efforts to facilitate DHH employees.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The effect of these efforts can be seen in the increase in DHH employees in the private sector. Many IT companies in India have taken steps to increase accessibility for their DHH employees. Infosys, an IT Company, has a resource group titled Infyability which is tasked to consider the specific needs of differently-abled workers. Infosys\u2019s Diversity and Inclusion Policy states that employees with \u201chearing impairments\u201d are to be placed in all roles, with the exclusion of positions that require telephonic communication with customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, Amazon India offers sign language interpreters for interviews and provides caption services for all-hands meetings. They have also created a Slack channel for their DHH employees to communicate with one another. Many employees of Amazon India have shared how they\u2019ve faced discrimination in many jobs, but the presence of an interpreter has created a harmonious work environment for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, these successes do not extend to India\u2019s government sector. In \u201cThe Promise of the Metropolis: Bangalore\u2019s Twentieth Century\u201d<\/em> Janaki Nair states that both DHH individuals and \u201cnormals\u201d long for the security of government positions. These are perceived as being reliable, less demanding, and consistent. Even accomplished and educated DHH folks struggle to maintain a permanent job in the government sector because the quota for \u201cdisabled\u201d workers is already filled by older workers who have not yet retired. Freidner discusses how a leader of the Pan Indian Deaf League told her \u201cthe glass is full\u201d when it came to jobs in the government sector. It is therefore rare to find a DHH government worker below the age of 35-40.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\u2019s successes and shortcomings coalesce into an asymmetrical picture of the DHH community in the workplace. While the country is home to 63 million DHH citizens, the emphasis has always been on India\u2019s technological resources and infrastructure. The needs of the DHH community have largely been ignored until the past decade. The private sector has brought about commendable changes, but it is crucial for the government to take a step towards implementing <\/strong>reforms to improve the work lives of DHH employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unspoken Languages Services is an American Sign Language Interpretation service provider that aims to bridge the gap in communication and create an accessible environment for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thumbnail Photo Credit to0: “ISL Politics and the Future of Deaf Education in India” by gretag is licensed under <\/strong>CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAre you deaf, or are you normal?\u201d  Michele Friedner, the author of Valuing Deaf Worlds in India, states that this is a common question asked in Indian society. 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