A tale of two frogs, the thirsty crow, and a few more moral stories have left the audience spellbound. The only difference here is that the session took a different format as the short stories were not narrated but explained using sign language and PowerPoint presentation.
Organised by the local chapter of Deaf Enable Foundation, the free programme aims at bringing the hearing-impaired students on one platform and providing them an opportunity to interpret a collection of moral stories.
Designed by the members of the foundation – Sailaja and her husband U. Vijaya Kumar, an APSRTC employee, who are also hearing-impaired, the session intends to build competencies and motivate differently-abled persons to be part of the mainstream. “Even in special schools, the hearing-impaired are deprived of little pleasures of life such as storytelling. We want to bring a change in the system,” says Sailaja through sign language. Every month, the session is held on last Sunday at Visakhapatnam Public Library.
Participants’ role What makes the programme more absorbing is the fact that the participants have a role to play. “They need to narrate what they have been taught during the class. Those who are able to communicate accurately will walk away with chocolates,” says K.V.L. Suchitra of Prajwal Vani Welfare Society, who came along with her army of students.
Some of the participants felt that the skill development programmes such as these help them hone their texting skills and stay connected with their friends, instilling a sense of confidence in them.
A lot of homework goes behind the screen as the narration includes topics like grooming, personality development and current affairs. And every month the topic keeps changing.
